Fire and Water
by halofan1997
Summary: Three years have passed since the Gum War ended, three years of peace and prosperity, but peace never lasts. In the aftermath of the conflict, a threat has been hiding in the shadows and growing in power. It has finally revealed itself, and now the peace has ended. A war is coming, one that threatens to destroy Ooo and everything in it. Will anyone be able to stop it? FinnxFP later
1. Chapter 1: The Visitor

**Chapter One**

 **The Visitor**

The years following the Gum War have been the most peaceful and prosperous in all of Ooo's history. The various kingdoms of the land live their lives without intrusion of the state or fear of an attack from an external force. The monsters of Ooo have been imprisoned or driven into hiding by adventurers, heroes, and scientists from all over.

A new human kingdom is rising, led by Minerva Mertens and her robot helpers, which exists near the sea towards the east. Thanks to the wealth of knowledge and technology the humans brought, the human kingdom has become the center of trade and commerce in Ooo, a place of great wealth and opportunity.

As the peace ensues, the need of the state to provide protection for the people dwindles. The princess' and kings of these kingdoms have transformed their governments into night-watchmen states, awaiting foreign threats and the return of monsters that would bring an end to this era of peace.

And in this time of peace, the people have been allowed time to rest and heal from the conflict of the Gum War, but even after all that time, the wounds caused by the war have not all been fully healed, and there are some scars that never will. Simon Petrikov, the former Ice King, has abandoned civilization to live in a cozy cavern home somewhere high up in the Mountain Kingdom. He lives in isolation, where he continues to mourn the loss of his loved one, Betty, to this day.

The people of Ooo work hard and grow, children play, and people have time to relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor. They live their lives in peace, slowly forgetting the conflicts of the recent past. Life goes on, and the people live in ignorance of the rest of the world, more concerned with their own lives and problems than for the problems of others and the things that are not their business. In this, they have become unaware of the looming threat, growing and lurking in the shadows.

* * *

A stranger came to Ooo from beyond the sea, wrapped in an enchanted, fireproof cloak. He wandered passed the guarded borders of the Fire Kingdom, undetected. He did not accomplish this by sneaking past them, nor had he entered the kingdom by some secret tunnel unknown to others. The peace, and the utter lack of conflict had made the border patrols slow and less aware than they we're supposed to be, something that made an illegal crossing easy to accomplish.

He walked through molten hills, passed fields of volcanic ash, and into the flaming towns where his presence attracted the eyes of the villagers. The wandering visitor had intrigued the flame people. They did not stop or bother the stranger who passed them by, but they watched with cautious eyes.

The hood of his enchanted cloak concealed his identity, his race, his gender, and anything else to do with his appearance, but one thing was obvious to all who laid their eyes upon him; he was not one of them, he was not a fire elemental.

The mysterious visitor headed down a long road, out of one final village, and towards the winding pathway that goes through the great lake of fire; the one and only way into Fire Palace, newly reconstructed after the events of the elemental disaster caused by Patience St. Pim.

This was his destination, and his mind was fully focused on the events that were to come.

Two flame guards, armed with fire-tipped spears, were stationed outside a massive gate, a portcullis closed to all who do not have permission to enter. Beyond the portcullis sat four more guards stationed behind the portcullis' windlass who were now throwing dice and playing cards, trying to distract themselves from their boring task and make the day go by faster.

The two guards at the gate noticed the approaching stranger in the distance, an unarmed figure cloaked in black. They were immediately cautious, recognizing the visitor as a foreigner. He met the two guards at the gate, and stopped, his cloak covering much of his face, as though he was trying to conceal his identity.

"How do you do?" the visitor asked them with eager politeness, concealing a smile beneath his hood.

The guards looked to each other with confused expressions, then turned back to face the visitor. The guard on the left side, the ranking officer, stepped up and approached the stranger cautiously, but he did not hold him at spear point, yet.

"Speak your business," he demanded, "why have you approached the gate of her majesty's palace?"

"My business is with the Flame King, not with you," he replied, "and so I request passage into the keep."

"My business _is_ the Flame King's business, visitor," the guard insisted.

"Oh, but it really isn't," the visitor asserted rather aggressively.

The guards near the windlass stopped their game when they heard the stranger, and the two guards at the gate were quiet for a long time.

"Be on your way, human," the ranking guard told him mockingly, "you have no right to enter."

The visitor became amused by the guard's ignorance and complete lack of understanding of the situation.

"You _will_ let me pass, "he insisted with sly confidence, "or I shall enter by force."

Recognizing his words as a clear threat, the guards dropped down into combat ready stances. They stood still for a moment, expecting the visitor to attack them or react in some way, but he did not. He remained motionless and showed no signs of any hostility.

"Is that a threat?" the guard asked him, giving him one last chance to end this charade and leave quietly, in peace.

"The choice is yours," he replied, asserting his former position.

"You have no authority to make demands of any of us," the ranking guard announced to him. He then turned to the other guard still standing at the gate and said, "search him and be certain he isn't concealing a weapon."

The other guard did as he was told, approaching the visitor with equal caution, the tip of his spear pointed in the direction of the stranger. Slowly, and cautiously, the guard clumsily patted down every inch of the man's cloak, but all he found was a small coin purse tied to his belt. The guard took it for himself.

After that, he threw the visitors hood's back to reveal his face. He was a human; a young adult male that appeared to be in his mid twenties. The human had a fair complexion; neatly trimmed amber colored hair, and hazel colored eyes. He is an attractive gentleman, but what perplexed the guards is that he did not wear the blue complexion of the flame shield.

The confusion came from knowing that no human could possibly survive the intense heat that exists this deep inside fire kingdom. For a human, spontaneous combustion would have likely occurred by now, yet the human remained intact. For now, the guards chose to ignore the mystery.

"Take him into custody," the ranking guard commanded.

The other guard took out a pair of chains forged from the molten-steel common to the realm and bound his hands together in front of him. What was more perplexing was that when they cuffed his hands, the molten steel did not seem affect his skin at all. And even after his threat to force his way into the kingdom, the visitor does not resist. He simply accepted it as though he wanted it to happen, and he continued smiling. His entire essence reeked of malevolence.

"We will bring you before her majesty," the ranking guard told him, "she will decide what we are to do with you."

The human's wicked grin only grew wider as he said those words.

"Let's not keep her waiting then," he replied, irking both of the guards greatly and making them feel as though bringing him into the kingdom was actually a bad idea, and it probably was, but under the orders of the king, they were required to bring all prisoners before her first.

Flame guards weren't known for their intelligence, but for their strength and loyalty to follow orders. So, the ranking guard called for the portcullis to be lowered, and guided their human prisoner through the gate, further down the spiraling pathway, and through a triangular opening, leading into the throne room where the Flame King awaited.

The woman known to many as Flame Princess, the ruler of the fire kingdom, sat upon her throne, hair down and wearing her royal armor and crown. Cinnamon Bun stood at her side as always, folding his arms in front of him as the prisoner was brought a few meet away from the staircase leading to the throne.

The knights of the palace were everywhere, many positioned along a newly constructed balcony that surrounded the upper atrium of the throne room, each one wielding crossbows. Four more guards stood at the base of the throne, spears in hand, and two flawless rows of sixteen guards stood still and paved the way to the throne.

The advisors and nobles of the palace, who had been conversing amongst themselves, became silent as the human was brought before the king. The few that loitered the pathway disperse, and all took their seats along the sides of the room, knowing that a hearing was in order.

The guards brought the visitor to his knees. The ranking officer, the same guard who spoke to the visitor at the gate, stepped forward.

The first thing that Flame Princess observed when she gazed upon the human, aside from the fact that he was not protected by the flame shield spell, was that his wrists, which were bound by superheated metal, were completely intact. The human expressed no pain. He just smiled, staring directly at the king who still sat at her throne.

"My King," the ranking guard announced loud enough for all the observers to hear, "I bring before you a trespasser. This human has crossed our borders, illegally I presume, and has demanded entry into your keep by threat of violence. We have brought him before you so that you may decide the punishment for his crimes."

A murmuring erupted amongst the nobles and advisors. Cinnamon Bun glared at the human, and Flame Princess was silently thinking to herself. The news was grim; after years of peace, along came a human, likely from the new human kingdom, with the intent to end it.

The fiery princess glared at him, observing him closely. He glared back unafraid, and continued to smile ominously.

Flame Princess got up from her throne, walked down the stairs to meet the human at eye level.

"Bring him to his feet," she commanded her guards.

They did so, gripping the human's shoulders tightly and hoisting him off the floor and onto the very tips of his toes. They made it as uncomfortable for the prisoner as they possibly could, but the uncomfortable smile and wicked glare he held did not change.

"Who are you?" She asked him, "and why did you come here?"

He smiled, but did not reply. This aggravated her.

"Excuse me, are you deaf?" She pondered.

"No," he shrugged.

"Then why didn't you answer me?" She asked him.

"I'm sorry, I thought I had a choice," he replied, mockingly, "I chose to ignore you."

"I see you like to smile," Flame Princess remarked, attempting to mock him in response.

When his expression still did not change and he did not speak or react, she slapped him across the face, hard, leaving behind a red mark on his right cheek, in an attempt to make it clear she was not interested in playing games.

"Why did you threaten my guards?!" She yelled.

The human was stunned for a moment. She was stronger than he had anticipated. The slap left a lock of his hair, what had been so neatly trimmed, out of place, covering a small part of his forehead. But that did not stop the smiling. Only now, he snickered to himself, slowly turning his face back to hers.

"If I hadn't threatened them, they would not have brought me here," he grimaced, "and I would have had to kill them otherwise to get here. You're welcome."

Flame Princess clenched her fist and punched him square in the jaw, leaving a large bruise. The prisoner recoiled and spat blood onto the carpeted floor. The floor was so hot that, upon making contact with the carpet, the blood evaporated instantly, leaving behind a dark-red, almost black, stain.

The human was stunned once more, but Flame Princess did not wait for him to meet her gaze this time. She gripped his jaw, and forcefully brought his hazel colored eyes to meet her own; blood stained his teeth and lower lip. He still smiled, on the verge of laughing.

"You wanted an audience with me, right?" Flame Princess asked him, enraged, "well, you've got it! What was so important for you to tell me that you had to enter my kingdom without my permission, threatened my guards, and provoke me?"

"I am here to end your rule," he told her, struggling to relax his aching jaw, "and to restore the rule of your father, the _true_ Flame King."

Everyone in the room, aside for the knights who were required to remain still, roared in defiance. They had no love for Flame King.

Flame Princess gripped the man's jaw tighter, her nails biting into the skin.

" _I_ am the Flame King," she asserted.

"Not rightfully," he dared to say, "you usurped your fathers throne and stole his rule. You are simply a pretender, a false king."

Flame Princess punched him in the jaw again; more blood fell from the man's face and stained the floor. She gripped his face again, now pouring with blood, and brought his gaze back to meet hers, and then she punched him one more time, for good measure.

The man snickered again. He had knowingly provoked her, and she had reacted exactly as he predicted, for the most part. That last, extra punch, however, he had not expected, and it amused him. This time, she allowed the prisoner to move his face on his own.

"I was the rightful heir to the throne, and _my_ people stand by me," Flame Princess told him with conviction, "I rule with compassion, dignity, and honesty. That was something my father could never do."

He laughed right in her face. She almost punched him again, but she held herself back this time.

"You think that's funny?" She snarled.

"You think your people are with you?" He questioned, "What compassion have you brought to the fire kingdom? What dignity? You mean, the censorship of your own people to tell even a single lie? That is your entire pathetic legacy."

"Lying is wrong!" Flame Princess growled.

"So is hitting an unarmed prisoner," he replied, "but that's not stopping you, is it?"

Flame Princess didn't even bother punching him again, realizing it wasn't worth the effort. And she did not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her provoked. Instead, she snapped her fingers and the two guards released the prisoner and allowed him to fall to the floor.

They raised their spears, prepared for an execution.

"I could have you killed right now for conspiracy," Flame Princess said viciously.

"But that wouldn't be compassionate, now would it?" he mocked her.

Flame Princess felt the sting of the truth in his words. He tried to laugh, but ended up coughing up more blood.

"Did you really think you could come into my house and aggravate me into giving up the throne?" Flame Princess asked him.

"Well, you see, my dear," he laughed, "your rule is at an end whether you realize it or not."

"Watch out!" came Cinnamon Bun's voice from behind, but it was already too late.

Violence erupted all throughout the palace. Half of her flame knights began slaughtering the others. Unable to retaliate or realize what was happening, the other knights froze up as their friends and the people they worked with stabbed them in the back, executed them, or fired on them with crossbows. It was over in seconds, until all that remained were the treacherous knights, and the nobles and advisors that glanced around in confused terror; not knowing whether to run or hide, they remained helplessly in place.

Cinnamon Bun, as soon as he had tried to warn the Princess, took an arrow to the chest from one of the crossbowmen from the balcony. The blow was not lethal, but two of the knights that had acted as loyal sentinels to the throne for many years killed the other two, and then turned on Cinnamon Bun, who struggled to regain his composure. They took him prisoner, one taking out a knife and bringing it close to the candy person's chest and the other holding a spear to his back.

The rest of the treacherous crossbowmen took aim at the knights below and fired upon them, killing all but five, two of whom immediately charged the two guards holding the human prisoner. They fought briefly, but were overwhelmed by the other three and killed shortly afterwards.

Before Flame Princess could respond appropriately, Cinnamon Bun was already being held hostage, and a dozen crossbowmen were aiming down at her from the balcony. They did not shoot, but instead held her there, and she did not dare act while Cinnamon Bun's life was at stake.

Flame Princess stood her ground helplessly; horrified by the sight of her own knights butchering each other. She was utterly speechless.

After slaying the guards from the gate, three of the five knights moved up to the princess and held her at spearpoint.

The human prisoner did move a muscle until it was all over. Slowly, he rose from the ground, speaking the incantations of a spell that caused his bonds to melt off like water. Only now did he reveal the magical abilities that he possessed.

The human rubbed his wrists and brushed away bits of the liquefied remains of the cuffs. The smile, that wicked smile, never left his face. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together.

"Sweet!" he yelled with glee, turning towards the two knights that held the cinnamon bun hostage, "let's wrap this up, gentlemen, kill the cinnamon bun."

"Wait!" the fiery ruler cried out for the life of her champion, "don't kill him, please! I beg you! I-I'll do anything you want!"

"Oh," the human's eyes lit up, "you'll do _anything_ I want?"

Flame Princess was on the verge of tears, and the rage she once felt for the human had dissipated, replaced by grief. The human, once a prisoner, now held all the power in this negotiation.

He held his arms behind his back and slowly walked right up to Flame Princess with a skip in his step, whistling a jolly little tune for his own amusement. He stopped inches away from Flame Princess, stopped the whistling, and the smile disappeared. He became serious.

"Where's Don John?" he asked her simply, still holding his arms behind his back.

Flame Princess's mouth hung open when she heard that name. She had kept Don John a secret from the rest of the world for so long, even from her own guards. Only Cinnamon Bun knew the truth; she had put him in a prison separate from her father for fear of conspiracy long ago. Her father was free, but Don John, the Flame Lord, was not.

"How do you know Don John?" She asked him.

The human giggled at the irony of the Flame Princess keeping secrets from her own people.

"I don't," he replied honestly, shrugging.

"Then why do you need him?" She asked.

"Oh, that's because I need him to aid your father," he replied once he understood her confusion, "he's a wizard, you see, and his power would be very useful to him."

Flame Princess had almost forgotten about her father's involvement in this, or so it seemed.

"You're just another one of his crony's," Flame Princess spat, "this was all just another attempt to take back his throne."

The human smiled once more, enjoying the conversation greatly.

"Ah, yes. Well, you see," he began, scratching the tip of his nose, trying to figure out how to respond to this one, "the truth is, whether you believe it or not, my dear, I am a free agent acting on your father's behalf. He doesn't even know about what just transpired. In fact, he doesn't even know who I am, not yet, at least."

Flame Princess felt the rage building inside of her, but she sensed the truth in his words. She refused to believe it.

"I don't believe you," she snarled in obvious denial.

"I suspected as much," he shrugged, "it doesn't change the facts, however. To be quite honest, I don't really care what you believe. It is of no consequence to me."

Deep down, Flame Princess knew that her father was not smart enough to have done all of this; whoever this human was, whatever he was, he was clearly the mastermind behind this entire operation.

"What does it matter to you who has the throne?" She demanded to know, "why is that of any consequence to you?"

"A war is coming, child, and I am merely trying to survive," he explained, "soon, all of Ooo will be consumed by fire and blood. Your kingdom needs a strong ruler; one who is willing to do what is necessary to win, and you are _not_ that leader. I am simply tipping the scales in your people's favor. You should be thanking me."

"You would lead my people to their deaths," Flame Princess said in disgust, "you don't care about my people, nor do have any reason to do so."

"Fair enough," he shrugged once more, choosing to move passed the petty argument, "now, again I ask, where is Don John? Tell me, or the cinnamon bun dies."

Unable to cope with the loss of her closest friend, she gave in, telling him exactly where he was being held.

"Don John is in a cell hidden beneath the royal dungeons down a secret pathway," she told him, "you'll find it concealed by a false brick in the wall, the one below the second torch on the left wall. Push it in, and the passage will open."

"Get him for me, will you," the human told two of the guards off the balcony. They did as they were told, putting away their crossbows and picking up the spears from two of their fallen comrades.

They found the brick, which opened the secret passageway, and found Don John trapped behind a false wall made of solidified magma. The flame guards used their elemental powers to melt the wall, revealing Don John, sitting against the wall in tatters. He had not eaten anything in days. He stared at the guards, surprised.

"I thought I had been forgotten down here," he remarked, "to what do I owe the pleasure."

"Come with us," they told him.

Together, they prodded the Flame Lord along, taking him up the stairs and passed the secret passage, up the next flight of stairs leading out of the dungeon, and back into the throne room.

In that time that it took the guards to fetch Don John, the human had painted a pentagram in the center of the room using the ashes of some of the dead knights, reciting an incantation in the process.

"Don John," the human greeted him with open arms, as though he were an old friend. The Flame Lord just looked at him with a confused glance.

"Do I know you?" he asked the human, thinking him crazy.

"Not at all," the human replied using the same friendly tone, putting his arm around the hulking creature and leading him towards the pentagram, "I just really wanted to meet you. I'm a big fan of your work. You see, I am a wizard myself from a far distant land beyond the sea, and I would love it if you helped me finish a ritual, if you'd be so kind."

Don John noticed the Flame Princess standing near the pentagram circle itself, with three of her own knights holding her at spear point. He realized she had been overthrown, much to his amusement and jealousy. He took a long look at her, and the Flame Princess recoiled in disgust.

"If you help me do this, I will give you back your freedom," the human continued in an attempt to deceive him, "all you have to do is one simple thing."

"What is it?" Don John quirked.

"Stand in the center of the pentagram for me," he said, pointing to the circle of ashes, "and stay still."

Don John was no fool, however, and as a Wizard, recognized the sacrificial ritual for what it was.

"You take me for a fool?" Don John replied, preparing to charge his magical powers for a one-on-one wizard battle.

"Just do as I say," the human said, casting a spell over the Flame Lord that compelled him to do as he was told.

Don John moved into the center of the pentagram chamber against his better judgment while five of the knights moved around each of the tips of the pentagram. They knelt and began to chant in unison.

Flames erupted from the tips of the circle, and Don John began to levitate into the air as the flames that came from the circle began to revolve around his body. With one final cry of agony, the Flame Lord's body was reduced to ashes, and the circle itself exploded in a great blast of blinding light.

The human was the only being to look away from the blinding flash. Everyone else saw nothing, but white light for a few brief seconds even as it faded. When everybody looked back to see the circle, the Flame King himself appeared before them, crouching in a funny position, reaching for something on the floor that was not there.

He glanced around the room in utter confusion.

"Chipmunks? Where did you go?" He asked nobody in particular, then looked around and recognized the flame knights, "Flame knights? What's happening? How did I get here?"

The human threw aside his cloak, revealing the black armor beneath it, enchanted as well. He approached the flame king, and knelt before him. Flame King raised an eye to the human.

"My king," the human began, "my name is Axel, and I have come from a distant land beyond the sea to be in your service."

"I see," the Flame King stroked his chin, foolishly accepting the logic. He looked around the palace some more, "so how did I get her, exactly?"

"I brought you here," Axel told him, "with a spell of my own creation. You now possess the spells and abilities of one Don John the former Flame Lord."

Flame King felt the power surging through his body, knowing it was true. He raised a fist to observe his new powers for himself, conjuring up a massive flame sword that he then transformed into diamond. His eyes lit up, thinking of the possibilities. Smiling, he then made the blade disappear into nothingness.

"There is a war coming, my king," the human continued, "one in which all the kingdoms of Ooo shall partake. The fire kingdom needs a strong ruler if it is to survive. That is why I brought you here, to restore your rule and return the throne that was stolen from you. It is rightfully yours."

The human finally raised his head to meet the Flame King's eyes.

"I am your humble servant," he told him, "use me as you will, my king."

This pleased the newly reappointed Flame King greatly, who looked upon his old throne with longing. He slowly climbed the steps, and sat upon his throne, for the first time in years. It felt so good.

"Ah, it's good to be back," he said with a relaxed smile.

The human stood up and approached the base of the throne. He knelt before the king once more. Cinnamon Bun and the two knights remained off to the side, keeping their distance. Flame Princess looked on helplessly.

"What would you have me do with the prisoners, your highness?" Axel asked him.

Flame King took a long look at his daughter. The sight of her made his flames burn brightly and hotter than usual.

"I have waited many long years for this moment," he spoke directly his daughter who listened begrudgingly, "I spent years thinking of the exact words I would use to express my utter displeasure for everything you did to me, for every crime you committed against me and my kingdom. I realize now that words cannot express the full extent of my displeasure. I raised you, bred you to rule, and you betrayed me."

"Betrayed you?" she yelled, outraged, "you kept me locked in a lantern for most of my life!"

"I kept you locked away for your own good," he scolded, "you could have destroyed the world. I never wanted to put you inside that lantern, but Princess Bubblegum insisted it was for the best, and I listened, as all wise kings do. She's the one you should be mad at, not me."

Flame Princess' own flames grew bigger and brighter than her fathers, but she did not dare lash out.

"Here's the deal," Flame King began, responding to the question the human had original posed, "as your newly reappointed king, I hereby declare that anyone who dares oppose or question my rule, will be punished. The penalty for the crime will be fair and merciful: death by fire!"

Flame King raised an open fist from which fireballs erupted in midair. The Flame looked to the nobles, huddling together in fear, ready to unleash his new powers on anyone who dared say anything against him. The nobles and advisors had acted as a check and balance to the power of the king, but it was quickly dawning on everyone that that was coming to a swift end.

"Is there anyone among you that would like to object?" He glared at them menacingly. All the nobles shook their heads rapidly in reply.

"Then bow before me and swear loyalty to your rightful king!"

They all did so without a moment's hesitation. Flame King smiled; the power he held over them was intoxicating. He returned his attention to his daughter, who had not moved a muscle since.

"I am harsh, but I am not an unfair ruler," Flame King announced to all in the room with false humility, closing his eyes and holding an open hand to his chest, "nor am I an unfeeling father."

He waited a moment, allowing his words to sink into the minds of his audience, before opening his eyes and focusing his attention on Flame Princess.

"I will give you one last chance, daughter, to become my daughter once again," he told her with a hint of compassion in his voice, "Never again will I imprison you. I swear it to you and to all in this room to hear. If I break this promise, I will relinquish my rule forever, and no one who opposes me shall face the penalty for doing so. Instead, I offer you a chance to take your place as my daughter once more, to become the heir to the throne again. And when I am gone, you may have your throne back as the rightful ruler. All I ask is your complete and undying loyalty to me, and that you never again usurp my throne."

"But my king?" Axel suddenly rose up in protest, "she opposed your rule. Surely, she deserves…"

"Silence!" The Flame King erupted into an inferno, shutting the human up instantly, "you are _my_ servant, and only I will decide what she does and doesn't deserve!"

"As you say, my king," the tone of the human's voice shifted to that of disapproval, lowering his head with begrudging submission. Flame Princess saw anger in his eyes; anger he did not reveal to the king.

"Daughter?" the Flame King said after a moment's silence, "what will it be?"

Flame Princess looked to her helpless companion, Cinnamon Bun, thinking of a way to get him out of this predicament.

"If I do as you ask, will you release Cinnamon Bun?" she asked him, almost pleading.

"No," Cinnamon Bun protested, "Phoebe, don't do this. Not for me."

Flame King thought for a long while before he said anything. Axel grumbled underneath his breath. Flame Princess noticed that, and wondered why the wizard seemed so invested in this discussion that seemed to have nothing to do with him.

"I will do as you wish," Flame King finally decided, "but he will no longer be allowed to enter the domain of the Fire Kingdom. I hereby banish Cinnamon Bun from the Fire Kingdom forever!"

The human cursed silently while Flame Princess knelt before her father.

"Thank you, father," Flame Princess said submissively, "I am your servant. Do with me what you will."

Flame King smiled, knowing he had won the day. Axel cursed again. This wasn't how he had planned for this to go.

"Guards, escort Cinnamon Bun out of the palace and return him to Princess Bubblegum in the Candy Kingdom," Flame King commanded, "he is no longer welcome here."

The guards prodded Cinnamon towards the exit. Flame Princess watched as they took her champion to the door. Cinnamon Bun stopped at the door, and took one last look at Flame Princess, and suddenly remembered that he had sworn his loyalty to her. As a knight, his loyalty prevented him to leave.

He spun around, grabbed the spears of the guards, and tossed them to the side. The guards, unarmed, took swings at CB, who dodged and kicked them to the side. He picked up one of the spears as soon as they were out of the way.

Flame Princess' heart sank as the knights all moved to surround the candy person.

"Run, CB!" she pleaded, "Leave now, that is an order!"

"I'm sorry," he said with a somber voice, recognizing his fate, "I pledged my loyalty to you, and I cannot break my vow and leave while you are imprisoned here; not even to save myself."

Cinnamon Bun readied his spear for one final stand. The crossbowmen took aim and the guards readied their spears, but it was not any of the knights or Cinnamon Bun that struck first, but Axel.

The human cast a spell upon his right hand and, in the blink of an eye, appeared before the cinnamon bun. He reached inside his chest, gripped his elemental matrix, and slowly crushed it.

Cinnamon Bun mouth hung low, and he let out a slow audible breath. He loosened his grip, and allowed the spear to fall to the ground. He was unable to comprehend what had happened to him, but the rest of the people in the room, including the Flame Princess, did.

The human violent ripped out what was left of his heart, leaving a dark, rotten hole in its place, and toss the blackened dead remains of his heart to the side. The cinnamon bun's lifeless body fell to the floor, limp, eyes still open.

With no hostage left to temper her rage, Flame Princess unleashed her wailing fury upon the entire room, expanding herself into a massive inferno that nearly took up the entire room, incinerating every one of the guards instantly the moment they came into contact with her.

The human vanished in the blink of an eye before she could do the same to him, and the Flame King deflected her flames with his own fiery blaze.

Flame Princess set her eyes upon the Flame King and let out a terrifying roar. He held her back as best he could, but she was stronger than him, and he knew this. Her blaze became to close all around the Flame King, his power dwindling, even with all he had just obtained. Soon, the blaze would consume him as it had consumed all the knights.

She was intent all killing the human, the Flame King, and everyone who stood in her way.

It was at that moment that Axel reappeared from behind, no longer grumbling or sulking, but smiling again, realizing that his plan was coming into fruition. Having finished preparing a spell in his absence, he unleashed a blast of concussive energy on the Flame Princess that sent her crashing through the roof and several feet into the air.

The blow sent her unconscious body plunging into the great lake of fire that surrounds the palace. She sank deep beneath the surface of the lava. She did not die, but her father and the human that defeated her did.

Adventure Time

Fire and Water

 _ **A/N: And so it begins... Before you close the tab, or move on to the next chapter (if it is out), please, before you do, read this Author's Note to see what I have to say. I want to prepare you for what's coming.**_

 _ **This is a story I had only recently conceptualized and started to put to paper after watching the Adventure Time finale. I do not believe the series should have ended. In fact, I believe it was a great disservice to end the series and leave it the way it currently is. But the positive side is that us fans can fill in the gaps left open ended after the series' finale. I want to provide my take on the future.**_

 _ **This story- my story, however, is more than just a continuation of the main series years later, it is also act as a critique of the world and the characters of the series itself, and I don't mean I'm going to be pointing out the flaws of the show. Rather, I'm going to explore what the show got right and offer new insights. That will become more apparent as the story progresses. This is a more serious take on the Adventure Time series.**_

 _ **This is also a philosophical journey, influenced by the world, events, characters, and themes of the original series. I want to explore the ideas the original series explored in a deeper way. I've often found that the best adventure time episodes weren't actually the funny ones, but the ones that explored very serious themes in a serious way. Episodes such as I Remember You, Simon & Marcy, the three Miniseries' (Stakes especally), Burning Low, etc. are all very serious and when you really take a step back to think about what transpires, it leaves a profound effect, which was something I never expected from the show.**_

 _ **A certain original character, based on his past experiences and personal beliefs will react uniquely (and possibly quite controversially) to these familiar elements while adding his own ideas into the mix. I hope that some of you will be able to relate or disagree with some of the beliefs the character holds, but also think about them deeply because I believe it will be very interesting.**_

 _ **For those of you who might be worried that the story itself will become really heavy handed or philosophically preachy at the expense of the entertainment value, do not worry! The philosophy, while deep is very subtle, and the story is epic, fun, and full of suspense! I really want to create an epic battle with some truly awesome sequences that might genuinely surprise and excite people.**_

 _ **More than this,**_ _ **I want to make you, the readers, feel something. I want this to be an emotional journey that each and every one of you shares with the characters, old and new.**_

 _ **The major themes my story will seek to explore is the nature and essence of truth, love, friendship, the nature of things, beauty, essence, existence, reality, individualism, collectivism, evil, altruism, rational self-interest, morality, the state, a little bit of theology (maybe), god (maybe), Machiavellianism and the art of manipulation, and various big questions, including, "What would you sacrifice to preserve the thing or person you cherish most?" This question does not necessarily pertain to Finn and/or Flame Princess.**_

 _ **I will also be incorporating elements of analytical and evolutionary psychology into the story, influenced primarily by the clinician Carl Jung's unbelievably brilliant writings, more specifically his books "Modern Man in Search of a Soul", "Archetypes and the Collective Unconsciousness", and most importantly, "The Undiscovered Self."**_

 _ **For those of you that might be intimidated by these things, do NOT worry! I'm not going to be writing an overly complex and difficult-to-understand story. And again, these details will be subtle and heavily simplified so that it is easy to read. This is simply there in the background to add extraordinary depth to the story itself. It's there for those who really want to think about them, and to give the story greater meaning.**_

 _ **For those of you who chose to read my story because of the Finn/Flame Princess pairing, welcome. One of the biggest disappointments of the series, for me, was their break up and subsequent abandonment of their relationship. I want to remedy that as best as I can while also adhering to the events that took place throughout the entirety of the show itself.**_

 _ **Keep in mind, however, that the romance is only a secondary aspect of the story itself, and will occur later on. The reason for this is because after everything that occurred between them in the main series, and with Finn's new love interest, I knew that if they had a chance, there would need to be some major development in the plot before we can begin to explore that aspect of their characters. Also, I want to build the story's central plot first.**_

 _ **I am really excited to share this journey with each and every one of you who chooses to read my story, and I hope you all enjoy and stick around. Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks! :)**_


	2. Chapter 2: Argus

**Chapter Two**

 **Argus**

Flame Princess descended into a dark abyss, surrounded by nothing but black. She felt her consciousness slipping in and out; her eyes were closed. The darkness was intense, so intense she felt it closing in around her. She stayed still, listening to the deafening silence, and then she heard a feint voice calling out to her through the darkness.

"Phoebe? Phoebe?" it started as an echo, "Phoebe, can you hear me?"

Flame Princess opened her eyes slightly, peering into the darkness and finding nothing. She assumed she was just hearing things, but then again, she heard the voice.

"Wake up," the echo grew. She recognized the voice.

"Cinnamon Bun?" she wasn't quite sure she was correct, but it sounded like him.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder. It spun her around, and she came face to face with her former champion.

"Wake up!" He shouted at her suddenly and violently, shaking her in desperation, trying to wake her up.

The darkness folded in on itself and Flame Princess' eyes shot open. She returned to the real world.

* * *

Three flame children, a boy and his two older sisters, were chasing each other in the backyard of their home; one of many cabins that rested on a peninsula that lies at the base of the great lake of fire. The cabin itself was obviously not made of wood. It was a simple mimicry of the cabins found in the surface world of Ooo known as the grasslands.

The father and mother were inside. The mother, while cleaning, was joyfully watching their three children from a small windowpane as they played while the father was sitting down beside the fireplace, resting cozily on his lazy boy, reading a book.

This family of flame people lived a happy and peaceful life. The mother stayed at home and raised the children while the father worked as the breadwinner for the family. He was a hardworking flame person that earned a living working in coalmines. He had been a flame knight in the royal army for years, but when their youngest was born, he set aside that role to help his wife raise their kids together.

He hung his old set of armor he wore as a knight above the mantelpiece, with the emblem of his unit retired beside it. The emblem displayed a fiery spade with an arrow going through it, pointed upwards. A patch bearing the same emblem was sewn into the armor's right shoulder pad.

The children decided they wanted to play a game of hide and seek. The two older sisters made the decision that they would hide while their little brother would seek. He counted to ten, and the search began. The sisters hid well, choosing spots they knew their naïve little brother would never be able to find.

When he could not find them in the yard, he suspected that his sisters must have hidden elsewhere. So, he wondered along the rocky, gravel beach, passed the boundaries of the property, down the alcove, and turning when he came to the corner at the end.

The boy became frustrated when; even then, he could not find them. He pouted, and kicked a chunk of coal far out into the lake. When he looked further down the beach, he noticed a body washed up at the shoreline. The lava of the lake was brushing up against the lower part of her body that was still submerged in the lake. She moved up and down with the flow of the lava's current.

The boy was little older than a toddler and, being so young, he had no real concept of death. A such, he naturally assumed that whoever he or she was must be sleeping.

He ran up to beached figure with intrigue and quickly discovered that it was a girl. Her fiery appearance had turned an unhealthily pink hue, and her fiery hair had fallen down to her shoulders, resting on the ground beneath her.

The boy knelt beside her and tried to rock her back and forth in order to wake her up.

"Uh, miss? Hello?" he tried to ask her.

When she did not wake up, he grew concerned. He shook her some more, but she still did not awaken.

 _Daddy will know what to do_ , he thought to himself. So, the boy left the body and ran back to his house.

Running through the front door, he found his father reading by the fireplace.

"Daddy!" He spoke louder than what was necessary. The father looked up from his book, giving his attention to his son.

"What is it, Argus?" The father asked the boy impatiently, wanting to continue his reading.

"There's a girl sleeping on the lake!" he told his father excitedly and proud of his discovery, "I tried to wake her up, but she's isn't waking up."

"I see," he replied his son some with some level of skepticism, "and where exactly on the beach did you find this sleeping girl?"

"Come, I'll show you." Argus told him, running out the back door once more, not waiting for his father to follow.

The mother could help, but giggle at her son's sudden burst of energy.

"What?" The father asked her, now chuckling himself.

"Oh, nothing," she replied, "why don't you go out and see what your son found? It's been a while since you've spent time with him."

The father thought that perhaps she was right and put away the book.

"You're right," he agreed.

He got out of his chair and headed out the door in pursuit. The mother watched from the window as they walked towards the left and off the property. When she could not see them any longer, she continued with her daily tasks.

The boy, Argus, ran out to where the girl had been with his father slowly following him from behind. He did not bother wasting too much energy on what he assumed was likely some product of Argus' childish imagination. He still wanted to go back, sit down, relax, and read his book, but he was curious to see what Argus had found, and his wife was right. It was about time he spent more time with him.

"Look, look, look!" The boy shouted when he finally got there. Argus pointed to the seemingly lifeless body in the water, "I think she's sleeping."

When the father saw the body in the distance, his eyes grew wide with disbelief and horror. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, he sprinted passed his son.

Due to her appearance, he did not recognize who she was until he gazed upon her royal armor and the sparkling orange-red gem- the jujube that she wore at the crown of her forehead.

"Oh, my glob," he exclaimed.

Argus got down on his knees and shook the girl.

"You see," the boy told him, "she's a heavy sleeper."

Argus recognized the horrified expression on his father's face, and realized that something was wrong. His smile disappeared.

"What is it, daddy?"

"Argus, find your sisters and go back inside the house, now," he told him, "and don't come out unless I say so."

"But how will I know when to come back out if you're not there to tell me," he asked him with childlike innocence.

"Now!" the father barked. The boy did as he was told.

When he returned to the yard, he called out for his sisters to come out of hiding.

"Atheia! Filia! Dad needs us to go inside!" He called.

They, of course, did not listen because they assumed that Argus was trying to trick them into revealing themselves.

"Seriously! I'm not kidding! Dad really needs us to go inside!"

They did not come out.

"You win, alright!" He announced, "seriously, I'm not kidding!"

They finally came out once he officially admitted defeat.

The youngest sister, Filia, had been holding her breath in order to shrink down to the size of an egg and hid inside an empty fire flowerpot, while Atheia had merged with the flames of the emblazoned house.

"We knew you wouldn't find us," bragged Atheia, but her celebration was short lived.

"Dad needs us to go inside," he told them, "and he said we should not come out until he says its okay."

The girls looked at each other, then back at their little brother with curious eyes. He was being serious, and that was unusual for Argus.

"What did father say?" the eldest sister against her younger brother, "Did he say why?"

"I dunno," he pointed down the alcove, "I found a girl near the lake. She was sleeping. Dad's trying to wake her up, I think."

The girls looked at each other again, more confused than ever, but they followed Argus inside where the mom, who had heard Argus' little story, was waiting for them. She became curious when the children had returned, but their father had not, as she thought he would be spending time with Argus.

"Where's your father?" she asked Argus, specifically.

"Daddy told us to go inside," he told her.

"Did he say why?" she asked him, curiously.

"I think he wants to wake her up, mommy," Argus replied, innocently.

"You mean the sleeping girl?" She asked him.

"Yeah," he clarified, nodding.

The mother felt that that would be all the information she would get out of Argus, so she turned to her daughters.

"Did your father say why he wanted you two inside?" she asked the two girls. Both of them shook their heads, but it was the eldest daughter, Atheia who spoke up.

"No, mother," she replied, "We were playing hide and seek with Argus and we were the ones hiding."

She was interrupted by a loud knock on the front door, and a gruff, authoritative voice that followed, "Open up in the name of the king!"

Argus ran up to the windowpane and looked out into the streets of the village. The other members of the family joined him, and watched as an entire battalion of soldiers from the royal army marched into the streets, demanding entry into the homes of the commoners.

One of their neighbors refused entry to three armed infantry soldiers, and as a consequence, the soldiers broke their door down and forced their entry. They came back outside dragging the entire family onto the streets and throwing them into caged chariots.

Many other citizens suffered the same fate and were subsequently carted away like animals once the chariots had been filled to maximum capacity.

The children's eyes were glued to the window.

"Mom, why are the soldiers here?" Filia whimpered, "where are they taking all those people?"

"Open up!" The soldier at the door said once more, banging louder and more often.

"Stay away from the windows," she told her kids, fearing one of the soldiers might spot them. They did as their mother asked.

She then took Argus by the shoulder and brought him off to the side to speak to him privately.

"Argus, go back to your father and tell him that the soldiers are here and they are occupying the town," she instructed, trying to remain as calm as possible, "he'll know what it means."

"But daddy said…" he was about to remind her what the father had told told them, _Don't come out unless I say so._

"No _but_ 's," she interrupted, "Just tell him I said it was okay. You won't get in trouble."

"Will you be alright, mommy?" He asked her, tears began to stream down his face, "they aren't going to hurt you, are they?"

She was touched by her son's words, and hugged him tightly. She closed her eyes, wanting to cry herself. The lava tears were already forming in her eyes, but she held them back.

"I will be fine," she told him with a sniffle, "as long as we do everything they say, we'll be fine."

She let go, and brushed the remaining tears from his eyes.

"Be brave, little Argus," she told him, "No go. Quickly now!"

Argus ran out the back door. The soldiers were growing more impatient with every passing second.

"Open this door up now!" the soldier yelled, "we aren't going to ask again!"

They banged on the door faster and faster and didn't let up until the mother finally opened the door and let them inside. Argus was already outside running down the alcove to find his father.

* * *

The father, as soon as Argus had left to go find his sisters, dragged Flame Princess's body towards the shore, a safe distance away from the sea of lava. Her diaphragm was visibly moving, so he knew she was breathing, and that meant she was alive.

He knelt down beside her and put his ear to her chest to listen the strain on her elemental matrix, which was the fire elemental equivalent of the human heart. He listened to its pulsating rhythm, but it was quiet and slow.

He put his mouth to hers to resuscitate her. With every breath he gave, her fiery appearance grew bigger and brighter. Her hair and her fiery colors eventually returned. By then, he knew she should have woken up, but she still did not regain consciousness.

"I don't understand. Why aren't you waking up?" he asked to himself with frustration.

He cradled the girl's head with his hand and tucked the other arm around her waist to keep her level. This was the only thing he could think to do.

"Phoebe? Phoebe?" he called out to her in desperation. He felt that if she heard her real name, it might give her something to follow back to the real world. When she did not react, he called out to her again, "Phoebe, can you hear me?"

Again, nothing. He laid her back down upon the molten beach.

"Wake up," he said, grabbing her shoulders and gently rocking her back and forth.

Flame Princess' eyes twitched and her head rocked to the sides as though something were causing her discomfort. This gave him hope.

"Cinnamon bun?" she called out so quietly, he almost couldn't hear her.

"Wake up!" he shouted at her this time, shaking her viciously. At last, her eyes shot open, and she was finally awake.

Flame Princess inhaled deeply the second she was wake, too deeply and too quickly.

Her body recoiled and she began coughing, trying to catch her breath. When she finally caught her breath, she sat up and took her time to analyze her surroundings. The memories, and the emotions they shared, slowly came back to her.

"Thank, glob, you're okay!" he cried, "I was beginning to think you would never wake up."

Flame Princess didn't even register his words.

"Where am I?" She asked him, on the verge of tears, "Where's Cinnamon Bun?"

He stared at her, blankly, not knowing what to say. His smile and the relief he felt slowly faded away as he steadily recognized the depth of her sorrow.

"Are you okay?" He asked her gently, "What's wrong?"

The events that occurred were too painful for Flame Princess to talk about openly.

She hugged her legs tightly and wept into her knees. The only thing the flame person could think to do was to put his arm around her for emotional support.

A few moments later, Argus came running back in a hurry.

"Dad!" Argus cried.

"Argus?" He looked back at his son, who stood a few feet away, "I thought I told you to stay inside the house!"

Flame Princess looked back at the boy as well.

"But daddy, mom told me to," he explained, his voice trembling, "there are soldiers are all over town. They were putting people in big cages and taking them away. Some of them were trying to get mommy to open the door. I think she let them in."

He ran up to his son and embraced him in hug. Argus wept into his fathers arms.

"Daddy, I'm scared," Argus confessed.

"It's okay, Argus. Daddy's here," he whispered calmly into his son's ear, stroking his fiery hair, "it's going to be all right."

"Will the soldiers hurt mommy?" Argus asked

"No, of course not," he replied.

Argus wasn't convinced, and honestly, neither was he.

"Your mother is smart and kind, and she knows exactly what to do," the father explained, "I'm sure she'll be all right, I promise. The soldiers were just looking for a place to stay."

"Really?" Argus asked him with a sniffle.

"I promised, didn't I?" he told him, "I would never break a promise."

Argus smiled, comforted by his father's words.

When the father broke away from Argus' hug, he looked back at the fiery princess, distraught. He towered over her as she sat in the smoldering sand.

"Why are your soldiers invading our village?" He asked her bluntly.

"I don't know," she said honestly.

"Who commands the army then?" he asked her.

"M-my father," she replied, struggling to get the words out, "Flame King."

"Impossible! Flame King was exiled to the grasslands almost three years ago," he questioned, "how could he have done this?"

Flame Princess could not bring herself to recount the events that transpired, but in saying nothing, she told him enough.

The man's eyes grew wide as the revelation dawned on him.

"Who sits on the throne?" He asked her.

"You already know," she told him.

"But with all the defenses put in place, that should not be possible," he still had a hard time believing it himself.

"It's- a long story," she confessed, "he had help from a wizard, a human wizard. Somehow, he convinced some of my knights to aid him in a coup right under my nose. The wizard took the palace, threw me into the lake, and now my father is sitting on the throne again. That's how you found me washed up on the shore."

"Why did the knights turn on you?" He asked her curiously.

He wanted so badly to hear the answer, but Flame Princess could not bring herself to say any more. She lowered her head, and hugged her knees tighter to her chest.

Flame Princess was frustrated by her own uselessness and inability to act. She cursed herself for the loss of her friend. She shook her head and stood up from the gravel with renewed vigor and vengeance in her heart.

"No! I am better this," she said aloud, "I'm stronger than this. I cannot sit back while _my_ soldiers raid and pillage the homes and villages of _my_ people."

"You can't," the father protested.

"I must," she insisted.

"But you can't!" he asserted, putting his hands on her shoulders and trying to shake some sense into her.

"My king," he protested, she irked when she heard him call her 'king', "as powerful as you are, you're just one girl. You cannot take on an army by yourself. You'll need help."

The man thought for a moment.

"You need to get out of the fire kingdom, immediately," he concluded.

"What?" she challenged, almost in disgust, "You want me to run while my people are put in cages and carted off like animals? While my father sits upon my throne, you want me to let him get away with all the deaths he has caused?"

"Yes," he insisted, "you need get out and get help from one of the other kingdoms. It's the only thing you can do for your people, for my son, my family, and me. If you fight them now, you are going to die, and when that happens, all hope will be lost."

"I'm not going to abandon by people," she protested.

"You are no good to us if you are dead, my king!" He shouted, "if you fight them now, you are going to die, and when that happens, all hope will be lost."

There was a short, reflective moment of silence. Flame Princess did not offer a response.

"I know the decision isn't easy," he told her, "but if you truly want to help your people, you need to do this."

Flame Princess lowered her head.

"Alright," Flame Princess nodded with begrudging acceptance, "I'll do it."

"Argus," he turned to his son, "take Flame Princess to the bunker, and make sure that _none_ of the soldiers see you. Do you understand?"

Argus nodded.

"And do not come out for anyone," he added, "not even me or your mother. When nighttime falls, take her across the border and get her out of the fire kingdom."

"You're not coming with us?" Argus protested, almost panicking.

"No," he confirmed, "I need to stay with your mom and your sisters to make sure they're safe."

He turned back to Flame Princess when a sudden realization came to his mind.

"I have connections too," he told her, "perhaps, I can also find some of my old friends from the knighthood to organize a rebellion in your absence."

Argus wasn't comfortable being on his own with a complete stranger.

"If you're staying, I'm staying too," he insisted.

"No, you're not," he asserted, "Flame Princess needs a guide to get her out of the Fire Kingdom safely. I showed you the best way, all the secret spots, and the secret tunnels. You need to make sure gets out safely."

"But daddy," he whined.

"No _but_ 's," he interrupted, ending the conversation with some parting words of encouragement, "I know you can do this!"

Argus sniffled. He hugged his father one last time before he ran back to the house.

The boy watched as his father disappeared behind the alcove in the distance, knowing it might possibly be the last time he'd ever see him.

Reluctantly, he led Flame Princess off the shore and down a trail through a forest of stalagmites. Geysers of fumes erupted all around them. The son knew the safest path to their destination, and brought her through the entrance to the first secret tunnel covered by a large molten rock that appeared to be in its natural state, completely unsuspecting.

Argus managed to push the rock aside with relative ease revealing the entrance, a pitch black hole with a ladder poking out just a little bit. He gestured for Flame Princess to enter first. She descending down the ladder.

Argus made sure that nobody was watching them, and once he was sure they were alone, he climbed in after her; shifting the rock back into its place covering the hole. For now, they were safe.

When Flame Princess reached the bottom of the hole, she waited for Argus, clutching her left arm and analyzing her dark surroundings,

There was not much to see. The tunnel was narrow, and the only other noticeable feature she found was a metallic doorway at the end of the tunnel. She was the only source of light in the tunnel.

When Argus finished his descent, he led Flame Princess to the metal door, It was heavy, especially for one as young as him, but he managed to get it open and hold the door for the fiery princess. Bright orange light escaped from the room beyond and into the tunnel.

She slowly walked through the door, now clasping both her hands to her chest. Her eyes grew wide when she looked upon the splendors of the room.

Whatever this place was, it was not an artificial creation, but one formed by the natural processes of the earth itself.

Stalagmites formed along the edges of the room, and a small waterfall of lava ran down along an opening with stalagmite bars preventing entry to the other side. Narrow strips funneled the lava towards an inactive geyser at the right end of the room, forming a pool of whirling, bubbling magma. The light emanating from the pool reflected off the walls in a spectacular fashion.

The roof was glittering with fire agate gemstones, similar to the Jujubee she wore on her forehead. The fire agates sparkled and glittered brilliantly in the lava's light, and further illuminated the room.

Argus had known about this place since he could remember, and he had visited it many times to marvel at its splendor, but he did not gaze in wonder this time. How could he after all that had happened, that was still happening? Instead, he looked down in worry and distress.

He walked up to a collection of shelving units set up neatly along the left wall. Upon each of the shelves were supplies, including rations of coal, medical kits, basic alchemy regiments, empty vials, fireproof fabrics, blankets, and sleeping bags, and other similar tools and supplies.

The boy took one of the coals and consumed it in one bite, a tasty little treat, and then grabbed two fireproof sleeping bags, one significantly smaller than the other, from the shelf and laid them both out along the center of the floor, starting with the smaller one.

Flame Princess did not notice as she was still so enthralled by the magnificence of the room itself. Once Argus had finished laying out the sleeping bags, putting his own atop the softest pile of dirt, he pointed to the larger one of the two. When he spoke, he interrupted her captivation and moment of admiration, grabbing her attention.

"This is where you will sleep," the boy told her. He then pointed to his own sleeping bag, "I'm smaller, so this one is mine."

Flame Princess sat down beside her new bed while Argus trudged away to the darkest corner of the room, turning his back to her and weeping silently to himself.

Neither of them said anything more to each other.

They both knew they would need to wait for a while before they could leave, a day or two at least. This gave them both plenty of time to reflect.

Flame Princess hugged her legs and, resting her chin upon her knees, thought deeply about and mourned all that she lost. The first thing she mourned was the loss of loyal companion, Cinnamon Bun.

"Cinnamon Bun," she needed to say his name one last time.

Lava tears formed under her eyes as she said his name. She closed her eyes tightly, refusing to cry.

She thought about the treacherous knights again and wondered how she could have been so blind.

"Had I done something wrong?" She asked herself, "what could I have done to fall out of favor with my own knights?"

She pondered over those questions for a long time, but no answer came to her.

She remembered the wizard, Axel, and thought that perhaps he could have been controlling the minds of her knights.

As much as she wanted to believe it, she quickly dismissed that theory, realizing it was unlikely.

 _If it had been mind control, surely all of the knights would have affected_ , she thought.

The theory simply did not explain why only half the guards turned, and the other didn't.

The more she thought about it, the further the answer seemed to be.

She began to think that perhaps the answer would never come, especially now that all of them were dead, incinerated by her own flames. That didn't stop her from wanting to ponder over it more.

She thought about her father. She felt the anger rushing through her. She wanted to crush the life out of him and return him to the ashes of the earth. She wanted to hate him, but somehow she couldn't.

Even after everything he did to her, throughout all her life, something inside her, perhaps some innate affection that lingered still prevented her from hating him.

Her feelings concerning her father confused her so greatly that it caused her to become frustration and enraged. Her flames grew bright and hot in the cave

She growled viciously, allowing a hidden destructive side of herself to emerge.

Streams of fire blazed from the palms of her hands, her eyes, her mouth, and her feet. The fire wrapped itself around her and consumed her. It expanded, and all the rage, anger, frustration, and sadness overrode her common sense and came to the forefront of her mind, transforming her into something else, something evil.

Nothing else mattered except for an unquenchable thirst for destruction.

Flame Princess turned into a monster, a demon of flames and agony. She started to destroy everything in the room. She set the shelves and supplies ablaze, torching everything. She smashed the stalagmites upon the wall, fragmenting many of them. Finally, she tore through the roof, and all the beautiful gems that had been so pleasurable to look at shattered into millions of pieces.

Everything there that was once so beautiful and wondrous to her now only aggravated and enraged her more. She hated that beauty could exist, she hated that it could have an effect on her. She wanted the whole world to suffer as she had suffered; to feel the pain she so deeply felt burning inside her.

Argus screamed in terror as the princess destroyed everything. He became convinced that whatever she had become would eat him in the process, as monsters always do in stories. The demon heard Argus' scream and looked at the boy crying in the corner. It walked up, ready to end his life; to revel at the fear he showed in his eyes; she wanted to, but she couldn't.

She saw the loss of innocence and the utter calamity she brought upon herself and the boy. It finally became real to her. She became conscious of her actions and the guilt that came with it overwhelmed her, allowing her to regain control and the neurotic emotions to subside.

Flame Princess slowly returned to her normal form, but Argus remained huddled in the corner, crying. He was utterly terrified of her.

She knelt beside the quivering boy and tried to calm him down. She was horrified by herself as well, and desired to convince this boy that she was not a monster.

"Argus, I don't know what came over me," she pleaded with him, "please, I'm sorry."

"No!" He yelled at her, crying, "don't eat me!"

"Argus," she spoke softer and hugged him ever so gently, brushing through the back his fiery hair with her right hand and resting her chin upon his head.

As she did, the boy began to calm down and the fear slowly began to die.

Argus stopped crying, but Flame Princess, due to the unbearable sadness and guilt that had stricken her heart, broke down completely. She began to sob uncontrollably.

"I am so sorry, I am so sorry," she apologized repeatedly, "I am so sorry… for everything."

Argus saw the tears of lava fall to the floor below. In his childlike naivety, he didn't actually think adults, even one as young as Flame Princess, were capable of crying, much less could break down so completely. They were supposed to be tough, invincible.

This shattered his perspective completely, but he was no longer afraid of the princess and he forgot about his own troubles. She was vulnerable, just like him, perhaps more so, and that was strangely comforting to him.

More than that, Argus could not comprehend how someone so obviously kind and compassionate could transform into something so totally chaotic and destructive.

Flame Princess made a promise then and there that she would never use her powers for violence ever again.

* * *

Axel walked down the halls of fire palace, whistling the same happy little tune to himself.

Flame King had just finished an assembly of the Royal Council to which the human himself was invited. The ruler, under Axel's own advisement, was sending troops throughout the fire kingdom, conscripting new soldiers, and preparing the kingdom for war, much to the delight of his son, Flint.

"It's about time!" the fire prince had blurted out obnoxiously.

The Flame King had also given Axel his own private quarters, and appointed him to be his personal advisor, the same position that Cinnamon Bun once held under Flame Princess, as a reward for successfully returning him to power.

As such, he had access to all the Flame King's war tactics and strategies, as well as clearance to top secret and classified information. This information would become vital to his future plans.

And with Flame Princess dead and out of the way, nobody could stop him from achieving his goal. This couldn't have gone any smoother.

After the meeting was over, Flame King dismissed everyone from the war room. He alone remained to mourn the loss of his daughter in private. Axel left smiling gleefully.

He came to the doorway of his new quarters, a luxurious one-room suite that used to belong to Cinnamon Bun, and entered his new home for the first time.

The first thing he noticed was that it was large. While it was not nearly as grand as the royal bedroom that belonged to the Flame King, it was still larger than Axel had expected. This pleased him greatly.

At end of the suite was a neatly made king-sized bed with an overhead frame, four pillows, and three blankets. At either side of the bed were two end tables with drawers and six dimly lit, decorative candles on top of each. Beside the bed on either side also were two interchangeable doors leading outside onto the balcony.

The living room aspect of the suite was at the center of the room, complete with a large sprawling couch, two lazy boys and ottomans, a large coffee table with a TV remote on top, and a large flat screen TV that hung from the ceiling. The floor was carpeted with a luxurious fireproof fabric that felt soft to the touch.

Near the entrance of the room was the kitchen, complete with a stove and fireplace, a cauldron, pantries filled with all kinds of food, candy mostly, and cupboards for storing dishes and silverware.

On the left side of the room was a large bookshelf that almost covered the entire wall. He walked up along the bookshelf using his fingertips to feel the spines of the books, _his_ books. All of this was his.

Passed the shelf, he approached the end table at the left side of the bed. Displayed atop its surface, next to the candles he picked up a framed photograph of Cinnamon Bun and Flame Princess making goofy faces. They appeared to be having a good time.

He tossed the photo over her shoulder and picked up the candles from both the end tables, bringing them to the center of the room and assembling them in two curved lines on the coffee table, the larger candles were placed behind the smaller ones.

Axel knelt down on the floor in front the table and recited an incantation of a spell, and suddenly the flames erupted and covered the room in a vacuum of smoke and flames.

As he finished the incantation, the flames died down. Eventually, as they subsided, they transformed and became one. The fire shaped itself into a face, taking on the appearance of a stunningly beautiful fire elemental. Her presence heated the room to an ungodly temperature.

"It's been a while, my love," Axel told her, "I've missed you."

"It has," she agreed, "I take it then that you accomplished what you set out to do."

"Thanks to you and your gift," he replied modestly, and then added, "I couldn't have entered the fire kingdom without it."

"What of the knights, then?" She asked him, "Did they fulfill their end of the bargain?"

"Yep," he replied, "There oath to Flame King, the rightful king, stands and they could not forsake it. As suspected, they joined the coup blindly and slew all the newer ones that swore loyalty only to the princess. It became her downfall, but your plan did not work as you had intended."

"What do you mean?" She asked him, wondering what could have gone wrong.

"I executed your plan to perfection," he boasted proudly, "I did everything I was supposed to, said everything you told me to say and exactly as you wanted me to say it, but when I brought Flame King into the picture, he didn't call for Flame Princess' execution as we thought. Instead, he tried to pardon her, and restore her as his heir."

"Impossible!" She spat, "I've been studying their relationship for years now. He never showed her any compassion or care whatsoever. What would have made him go soft now?"

"That's not important now that she's dead. There's another problem," Axel continued. He had a hard time confessing this next part, "I- I lost her body."

"What?!" She cried, outraged. Her flames danced around wildly in the air, the heat intensified as her temper grow, "what do you mean you lost it?!"

"I mean I lost it," he explained, "in the lake of fire."

"I told you specifically to preserve _her_ essence," she yelled, "after everything I've done for you, you would dare rob me of that reward?!"

"I had no choice," he replied, "she would have killed Flame King if I had not acted and everything we've worked for would have been wasted. I made a decision in the heat of the moment. I killed her, but with my magic, I blasted her into the lake of fire."

"And why, then, should I continue to aid you, Axel?" She asked him, coldly.

"Because you love me?" he replied, half jokingly.

She laughed, but not because she thought it was funny, but because he actually felt like her love for him made any difference.

"I do love you, foolish Axel," she told him sweetly, "otherwise, I would have killed you long ago."

"There are other elementals here that might satisfy you, Callista," Axel suggested, "Flame King would provide an excellent…"

"Enough!" She shouted. Her flames shot up aggressively and danced around in the air, "if you want me to continue to help you, you must find her body first."

Axel looked at her with dread.

"You are asking the impossible," he complained, "the lake of fire is miles long, it could take months…"

"I don't care how long it takes, I said find the body," she demanded, "do not contact me until you do so."

"And what if I don't find it?" he posed the question, entertaining the thought that perhaps Flame Princess' body was no longer recoverable, "don't forget we have a limited window of time. We don't have months to spare."

"Then I hope you find it soon, for your sake," she replied, "We wouldn't want the Flame King to find out you gave him false advise of a war that never came, now would we? Imagine how his people who react. They would forsake him, and in return, he would forsake you."

"You would have the entire kingdom turn against me?" He challenged, "You have a stake in this too, Callista. What of your goals and your dreams, huh? Would you so willingly give all that up? Would you waste and undo decades of work for the essence of one dead fire elemental?"

"Patience, my love," she replied, "I can wait for another thousand years if that's what it takes. I can rebuild all of our work on my own if need be. Someone will come along and take your place. Besides, Phoebe was no ordinary fire elemental; she was the embodiment of the element of fire itself. You can't begin to imagine the power that comes with that. That power is precious to me, more precious than you. And if I can't have it, I will wait until the next incarnation of fire is born."

Axel knew that she was giving him no choice in this matter. If he wanted to make this work, he knew he would have to search the lake and recover the body of the Flame Princess.

"I'll start first thing in the morning," he gave in, "but when I find the body, you better pull through. We're in this together."

"Not if you can't find the body," was her final reply. The flames dispersed rapidly and died down until all that remained were the dimly lit candles on the coffee table.

Axel glared at them blankly for a long while, already loathing the task he was given before even starting.

He picked up the candles and returned them to their original spots on the two end tables. After that, he walked out onto the balcony and stared out at the vast lake of fire.

For a moment, he looked at the lake wondering how he would ever find Flame Princess' body, but then he looked at the lake with lust.

"Someday, this will be mine," he told himself with a deep and insatiable longing for control, "this lake, this castle, this kingdom, and soon, everything else."

He would begin the search tomorrow, and there was no way he was going to let a body of lava stop him from finding her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: To those of you that left a review, thank you for your kind words and critiques. I really appreciate it.**_

 _ **This second chapter was really tricky to write, as I had to find someway to bring Flame Princess back while also giving her someone to guide her through a nation that turned against her and wants her dead. I had to introduce new characters to accomplish this. I had to progress Axel's story and set up for the events to come. I thought long and hard about the various interactions that take place between characters, and was constantly rewriting them. I wrote this over the span of the last three weeks.**_

 ** _The struggle for me with writing this chapter was that I was required to introduce new characters to the story, Argus and his family, in order to build the suspension, as most of the characters we love are all out in the grasslands._**

 ** _I really hope the addition of new characters doesn't bug anyone too much, and if it does let me know and I will change the story accordingly. If you do like it, though, let me know why. I appreciate the feedback._**

 ** _Also, the reason I am able to get these chapters out so soon is because I spent the last few weeks writing them and editing them. It takes me quite some time to finish a chapter, so when we really get going it may take a little bit longer to write them._**

 ** _Every time I get reviews, I plan on responding to them at the end of each chapter._**

 ** _\- FanOfVariks: "I'm glad you liked the first chapter, and my goal is to try and create an interesting arc for the story to take off. I'm glad it worked for you."_**

 ** _\- KRUSA1: "I can understand where you are coming from. I really liked the finale, don't get me wrong. In fact, I thought the finale was one of the best episodes in the series! I have no issues with the episode itself, moreso I have a problem with the series ending as a whole, leaving character arcs incomplete and leaving out questions that should have been answered before it ended. I know the A/N in the first chapter might give people the wrong impression, so I modified it for clarity. I appreciate the critique, and hope you stick around. Also, if you have another other questions that I didn't answer or other things you want to say or get off your chest, feel free yo leave another review. I really appreciate it! :)"_**

 ** _\- Anonymous: "I appreciate the compliment, although I personally feel as though there aren't enough people writing these kinds of stories to fill in the gaps that the series left open, yet. The finale aired a month ago, so I don't expect it. This story is my way to kind of remedy that, and I do hope that others do what I am doing as well."_**

 ** _\- AlecDoUrden: "Yep. Glad you enjoyed it!_ ;) _"_**

 ** _\- GarrusVakarian: "Trust me, Axel is a LOT worse than you think. You have no idea the extent to which he will achieve his goal."_**

 _ **\- Guest: "That is essentially what I am trying to accomplish. As the audience matures, I think the story should mature with it. And here you are..."**_

 _ **\- Grimlord31: "That is the question. Congratulations! You've taken the first step in uncovering a very dark mystery. I'm sure the second chapter answered some of the questions you had, and maybe added more questions."**_

 _ **\- Guest: "Thanks. It took me a long time to develop this writing style. I read a ton of books, and tried to adapt what I believed were the best aspects of each story in order to develop my own style. R.A. Salvatore was a huge inspiration for me."**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Chase

**Chapter Three**

 **The Chase**

Flame Princess cried herself to sleep that night, holding Argus in her arms. When she awoke the next morning, he was no longer there.

The fiery boy was already awake and had moved to the area where their sleeping bags had been, now burned to a crisp by Flame Princess' wildfire, sitting upon the ashes where the dirt was softest.

She got up and approached the boy. He stared blankly at the wall in the opposite direction of her. Flame Princess was afraid to interact with him after what she did last night, but, to her surprise and relief, Argus heard her approach and spoke to her first.

"You cried a lot," he stated, turning to face her, "whenever I am sad and want to cry, I always come here. This place makes me feel safe and happy."

Using his fingers, he swept the ashes into a large pile and up as much of it as he could. He held the ashes out in front of him and blew them away. The ashes scattered all around the cave. It was no longer beautiful or splendorous, but scorched and burned to a crisp.

"I know you didn't mean it," he confessed, turning away once more, "but I wish you didn't do it."

Flame Princess sat beside the boy and put her arm around him to comfort him. He rested his head upon her shoulder, and FP rested her head upon his.

"I promise it will never happen again," she told him, "I never even want to use my powers again."

"Why not?" He asked her, surprised.

"Because my powers are destructive," she replied, giving him as simple an answer as possible so that he might understand, " _I_ am destructive. Even when I try to control myself, I end up making it worse and I hurt the wrong person."

She paused for a moment and raised both her hands to look upon them in shame.

"I don't ever want to hurt anyone again," she sighed, "so, I guess the easiest way to do that, or to _not_ do that, is to just not use them."

It sounded like she had made up her mind, but Flame Princess wondered if it would last. Still, she was determined to try in order to make amends for the damage she caused and for the failure of her rule.

Her stomach growled loudly, and Argus heard it.

"I guess I'm getting kind of hungry," Flame Princess giggled, trying to lighten the mood, but when she looked at the shelves where the rations had been, she saw that all they had been burned to a crisp.

"Oh, right?" She said glumly, remembering the obvious. She rested her head upon her knees.

This created a problem for them, however. They had no food, and that meant they would have to leave soon if they wanted to eat.

"When do you think it will it be safe to leave?" She asked him.

"I dunno," he shrugged, then, pointing up at the ceiling, he said, "we should probably check."

* * *

Argus pushed the rock away from the hole ever so slightly, and just enough so that he could poke his head out to see if the coast was clear. The geysers were blowing hot air all around them, and the stalagmites glistened as they usually did, but there were no soldiers and no guards waiting for them on the other side.

He pushed the rock away completely, and jumped out of the hole, looking back down and gesturing for Flame Princess to climb up with him.

"It's clear," he whispered.

Flame Princess climbed out of the hole. She now wore a cloak and a hood to conceal her identity.

Argus pushed the rock back in place, and led her north, safely through the forest of stalagmites and away from the town that still buzzed with the activity of soldiers.

They came to a road where they heard a band of soldiers marching down the pathway. The two quickly hid behind a large boulder, and allowed the soldiers to pass.

Once they were gone, they ran across the road and down a wide-open molten field on the other side, but one of the soldiers had dropped a ration pack near their hiding spot, and upon noticing it ran back to pick it up.

As he did, he looked out into the molten field and saw Flame Princess and Argus running away in the distance.

"Hey!" he shouted back to the band of soldiers, "we got runners over here! Get them!"

The soldiers sprinted after them into the open fields. Flame Princess and Argus heard the men yelling to each other, and turned to find them pursuing them.

"Run!" Argus shouted, as though he needed to say it, "I know a place where we can hide!"

They dashed to the end of the field into the rocky slopes on the other side. The soldiers spread out and ran in various directions, hoping to cut them off at a crossroad, but when the soldiers regrouped at the spot where Flame Princess and Argus should have been, behind a hill.

On the other side of a large hill, they found molten plates covering the ground with a large lava rock standing alone in the middle. There were no obvious hiding spots to them, but Flame Princess and Argus were nowhere to be seen.

"Where did they go?" One of the soldiers asked the men, perplexed, "I saw them come this way."

The soldiers looked all around them, analyzing their surroundings and trying to find somewhere they could have run to. They found nothing.

"We've lost them," the leader of the soldiers declared, "let's not waste anymore time here. We need to report this back to the king."

The soldiers marched off in a hurry.

Once the sound of their footprints faded to silence, Flame Princess and Argus removed the sheet of rock concealing their next hiding spot inside the hollow large rock in the center. The two were still panting from the long run.

Argus peaked out first, and when he saw nothing he tiptoed out.

"How many more of these hiding spots are there?" Flame Princess had to ask him, realizing that these hiding spots were being kept a secret, and as such, were a clear violation of the law she had created.

"There's a lot," he replied.

She was beginning to realize that the law that was supposed to prevent her citizens from keeping secrets and telling lies was being proved ineffective.

The irony was that these secrets were being used to aid her escape, and she hated to admit that to herself.

Argus began pulling bits of coal from a secret compartment within the side of the rock. He took some for himself, and handed the rest for her. They sat down and enjoyed a quick, but satisfying meal, not wanting to linger in one place for too long.

"How far is it to the border of the Fire Kingdom?" She asked him, once she had finished eating.

"It's not too far," he replied with a full mouth, pointing to the vast mountainous regions to the north, "we should be there in a few hours."

Argus finished the last of his food, and the two of them followed the path north towards the mountains. The tallest of the elevated masses was an active, erupting volcano that blew black smoke into the air.

The smoke culminated as a thick, black cloud that covered the entire kingdom in a haze. This was the source of the impenetrable gloom that deterred so many foreigners and threats from the kingdom's borders, keeping it safe for so long.

* * *

The soldiers returned to the palace an hour later, and met the king at his throne. Axel was waiting patiently at his side, but was eager to start his secret search for the Flame Princess' body.

The group of soldiers knelt down in a formation with its leader at the head. Flame King waited for a moment before giving them permission to speak.

"Why have you come before me?" He asked them, "speak!"

"My king, we encountered a pair of runners near the village of Pyrus," he reported, "we lost them in the crags, and request that you send us after them."

"How did you lose them, exactly?" the king asked.

"I split up my men," he explained, "I planned to cut them off, but when we regrouped, they had disappeared. I believe they were headed for the border."

"You incompetent fool!" Flame King yelled, "I ordered you to guard the border of the village and you let two villagers escape! This is a sign of weakness! I cannot allow that!"

The fiery monarch incinerated him, leaving the remaining soldiers shaking in their armor. Axel smiled.

Flame King then turned to his new advisor.

"Axel, I have a task for you," he told him, "take these men and find the two runners. Show them how a true leader acts."

Axel was visibly upset by this command.

"My king, all do respect, but I have far more pressing matters to attend to," Axel protested.

"I need someone I can trust to handle this assignment," he replied, "since I can't trust my soldiers, I need you to do this. You've proven your tact and trustworthiness, and I have no doubt you will succeed where these buffoons have failed. Do not disappoint me!"

Axel lowered his head in submission, concealing the building resentment he felt for his ruler.

"As you command, my king," he replied submissively.

"You may leave whenever you are ready," Flame King concluded.

He left Axel alone with the soldiers in the throne room. The wizard watched as his king departed, seething with anger. The soldiers knew from his expression that he was obviously displeased.

Rumors had already begun to spread throughout the kingdom that Axel had been the one who killed Flame Princess, the most powerful fire elemental in existence. They were afraid of Axel, and he knew it.

He walked up to the remaining soldiers and trampled upon the ashes of their dead leader.

"Which of you is next in line to lead these men?" he asked them. They all pointed at Axel, "No, no, no! Not me, you idiots. Who, besides me?"

"I guess I am," one of the soldiers raised his hand; the same soldier who had dropped his ration pack and found the runners as a result.

Axel walked right up to him and got uncomfortably close to his face. The soldier flinched fearfully.

"Lead me to where you found them," he ordered, his tone venomous.

With that, Axel and the soldiers were dispatched atop ravenous fire wolves. The soldiers led the wizard to the road next to the boulder and the molten fields.

"We were marching down this road when I dropped a pack of rations, here" the second in command told him, pointing to the exact spot.

The soldier then pointed out to the molten fields.

"That's when we saw them running away," he finished.

Axel dismounted, and analyzed the area briefly. He then cast a spell; a wave of blue light covered a radius of about two miles. The light distilled into the ground and the footprints of both Argus and Flame Princess lit up, leading directly into the field and into the crag.

This excited the soldiers. They wanted to go after them now, but Axel wasn't quite ready to go after them.

"There!" the soldiers barked, "we should go now before it's too late!"

Axel put a hand up, the stop sign that meant for them to stand down.

The wizard backpedaled with the footprints behind the boulder, and pointed to where the footprints shifted in the sand.

"Would you look at that," he said, "you walked right passed them during your march. If you hadn't dropped that ration, you might have missed them entirely."

"We should head out before they get too far away," one of the soldiers remarked.

"Not yet," Axel replied, "we have time, and fire wolves. They can only walk."

He looked out towards the direction the prints had come from. He thought briefly in silence, before turning back to his second in command.

"How close is the village from here?" he asked.

"It's about two miles down that way," the soldier pointed away from the road directly the footprints had come from.

The soldiers all had an epiphany as he said that. Axel smiled.

"If it came from the village, it is possible that someone may be helping these people escape," he told them, "let's use the time we have to root it out, if it exists."

Axel returned to his fire wolf and the group followed the footprints into the forest of stalagmites where they converged at the molten rock covering the hole into the bunker. Axel got off his wolf again to study the surrounding earth.

"What do you see?" Axel asked the soldiers.

"Me?" The soldiers all looked surprised.

"Yes, you," he clarified, "any of you. What do you see that is out of the ordinary?"

"Why do you want to know?" one of them asked, "you are clearly better at tracking than any of us."

"I'm asking because I'm not interested by what I know, I'm interested by what other people know," he explained, "and because if I can analyze what you observe and how you process information, it will make me a more effective leader."

"Footprints, everywhere," the second in command replied, missing the obvious, "the footprints seem to lead towards the rock, but then they turned completely the other way, as though they had disappeared and reappeared suddenly."

"Maybe they rested here," another soldier chimed in.

"Not likely," Axel replied after finally figuring it out, "if they were running, they would not have stopped this close to the village, unless…"

Axel used his magic to lift the rock off the floor, revealing the hiding hole that led to the secret bunker. He tossed the rock violently off to the side and sent it crashing into a stalagmite. The rock was shattered to pieces, along with the stalagmite, on impact.

The soldiers were continually amazed by Axel's ability of observation, even though the wizard himself thought it should not have been that hard to figure out.

"Wait here," he commanded.

Axel jumped down into the hole, using his magical powers to cushion his landing.

The tunnel was dark, without any source of light aside from the lambency that emanated from the hole above. The wizard used his magic to conjure up a floating orb of light that followed him wherever he went.

He walked down the tunnel and found the metal door on the other side. He used a concussive blast spell that sent the door flying off the hinges and bouncing off the wall on the other side. It tumbled when it hit the floor. Soon, all was still.

Axel entered the room, now illuminated by the flow of lava, and dismissed the orb from reality.

Scorch marks covered much of the room. He knelt down, brushed his two fingers against the scorched earth to accumulate some of the ashes, and rubbed them together.

He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath; casting another spell over his eyes to trace the essence from the ashes on his fingertips. This would allow him to analyze the trace particles and identify the person that did this as well as how recent the event occurred.

His eyes shot open, shining bright blue. What he saw in the trace of ashes shocked, horrified, and excited him all at the same time. His mouth dropped.

"It can't be," he said aloud, "Flame Princess lives?"

Axel stormed out of the bunker and levitated his way up the hole, landing back onto the surface where the guards awaited patiently.

"So, what did you find?" The second in command asked him, eager to know.

Axel's mind was all over the place, analyzing various bits of information so quickly that he was deeply lost in his own thoughts and trepidation. He did not even register the question.

The wizard used his tracer eyes to analyze the footprints closely and discovered that the larger pair did indeed belong to Flame Princess while the smaller ones belonged to a boy.

This was both a great and terrible discovery for Axel. It was great because he now knew where Flame Princess was and could recover her body without having to spend weeks searching the lake, but it was terrible because she had survived, and if she escaped, this would possibly set back years of plotting.

"Follow me," he calmly, but sternly ordered the soldiers.

They did so without a word. Axel remounted his fire wolf, and followed the footprints into the village with the soldiers behind him.

They led to the beachfront where Flame Princess' body had washed up and was subsequently discovered. Axel was desperate to find out how she survived.

While Flame Princess' footprints stopped, the smaller footprints continued onward to the right, leading down the alcove. Axel dismounted the wolf once more and ordered his soldiers to do the same. They followed the Axel to his house, wielding their spears, swords, and axes.

The wizard came to the back door of the cabin and knocked.

The mother of the house answered the door, and was horrified when she saw the soldiers and the fuming wizard.

Axel didn't bother to ask permission to come inside. He pushed his way passed her and began to study the room while the other soldiers flooded in.

At the dining room table sat four more soldiers' playing cards while the two daughters, Filia and Atheia were preparing a dish for their "guests." The father was nowhere to be seen, and his armor was missing from the mantelpiece.

Axel noticed the empty spot on the wall, but the fire spade emblem remained. He took a mental note of that.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" The mother asked the wizard.

Axel dismissed her and continued to study the room.

"Pardon me, sir, but you can just-"

Facing away from her, Axel wiped his fingers in midair as though closing a zipper, and her lips were sealed shut. She tried to speak, but her lips wouldn't move.

"Not now, my dear," he told her, "I need to think for a moment."

She began to scratch at her lips, but they would not open.

The wizard saw the two sisters huddling together in the kitchen and smiled.

"Ah, wonderful!" he cheered, gleefully clapping his hands and rubbing them together, "I love children!"

He walked up and shoved his way between them, wrapping his arm around each in a friendly, but assertive manner.

"So, which one of you wants to guess why I am here?" He asked them. The girls looked hopelessly confused, "Come on. Think! Why would I be here?"

The mother clawed at her lips with her fingernails, wanted desperately to speak on their behalf.

"W-why are you here?" Filia asked, trembling.

"Aha!" He cried out in jubilee, " _that_ is the question, isn't it! Well, you see I'm tracking down two runners. One of them is a young woman, I believe, and the other is a small boy who used to live here. Do either of you by chance have a younger brother?"

The girls' eyes grew wide as they realized he was referring to their brother, Argus. The father had told them that Argus was traveling with the sleeping woman to the border, and now they knew their brother was in danger. On instinct, the girls decided to pretend as though they had no brother.

"A small boy? There's only two of us, mister," Atheia lied, quite poorly.

The mother was more desperate now to say something, but to no avail. Lava tears filled her eyes.

"Now, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?" The wizard asked the eldest daughter, already knowing the answer by then, "keep in mind that the king appointed me to be his right hand man, and the Flame Princess' law still stands. If you lie, you are violating the law, and you don't want to do that with the current Flame King in power, trust me. Now, I am going to ask you again and I'll know if you are lying: do either of you by chance have a younger brother?"

His tone became far more sinister, and the very sound of his voice terrified the girls. Both of them broke down into tears, too afraid to lie even to protect their younger brother any longer.

"Yes," Filia told him, sobbing, "he's our little brother."

"What's his name, my dear?" Axel asked her, sweetly.

"Argus," she replied.

"And do you know who Argus is traveling with?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"You're not lying to me now, are you?" he questioned.

"No, mister," she shook her head wildly in response, "please sir, you have to believe me."

Axel did believe her, and he was surprised. He had no doubt she was telling the truth.

He looked back to the mother, swiped his fingers in midair and her lips opened up, allowing her to finally speak. She inhaled deeply. It felt so good to be able to use her lips again.

"Please," she begged, "don't hurt my son. I will give you anything, just please; leave my son out of it! He's an innocent boy."

"Innocent? Really?" He asked her, "if he were so innocent, why is he committing a crime? Why is he fleeing the fire kingdom while we are under martial law? Why is he traveling with a criminal guilty of treason?"

"He's just a child!" She protested.

"That is of no consequence to me," he replied, "child or no, he's breaking the law, and he will be treated accordingly."

The mother fell to her knees and wept uncontrollably. Axel took great pleasure in it.

"Fortunately for you, I might be persuaded to look the other way when I find them," he told her, "but I need you to help me. If you do, I'll pardon your son."

"What do you need me to do?" She asked.

Axel's smile grew wider.

* * *

Flame Princess and Argus made it to the base of the mountains two hours later. The walk there was quiet. Both of them had little to say, and were constantly vigilant, watching out for the presence of soldiers, monsters, and other threats lurking in the shadows.

The environment of the region was grim, even by the standards of the fire kingdom.

Streams of lava poured through the mountain everywhere. The surface had thousands and thousands of gaping holes and massive breaches, some large enough for a lava giant to fit through, formed by years of volcanic activity.

The constantly erupting volcano thundered in the distance, and the smoke that dirtied the air grew thicker the closer they came.

The further they traveled, the more Flame Princess thought about her decision to leave. She began to question herself, wondering whether or not she was making the right choice for her people or if her decision to do so was merely selfish.

 _If I had just been more cautious_ , she thought to herself, _if I knew the human was a wizard, maybe I would have been more prepared and none of this would have happened. Then maybe Cinnamon Bun would still be alive._

Flame Princess stopped dead in her tracks. It took Argus a moment to notice, and when he did, he ran back to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her gently, putting a small hand on her cloak.

"What am I, Argus?" She asked the boy. It was a bigger question meant for someone older, but she needed to let this out, "What kind of king allows all this to happen? What kind of king abandons her kingdom while her people remain oppressed? People are dead because of me."

"That's not true!" Argus rejected the idea without a thought, but it was of no console to the grieving princess, "you didn't kill anyone. Your father did."

"But I am responsible for all of this," she insisted, "I was weak and because of that, I lost my throne. I am the reason why Flame King's in power. _I_ let my people down. I let my kingdom down. I let myself down. I let you down, Argus."

"You didn't let anyone down, princess," he told her, "you couldn't have known any better."

"But I made so many mistakes?" She questioned, "A wise king would have done better."

"Everybody makes mistakes. Even the wisest king makes mistakes," he replied, "you can't blame yourself for the things you cannot control."

The wisdom of the child was a surprise and a comfort to her. She smiled, not wholly convinced by his point of view, but put at ease that he still had faith in her. She was happy that, even after everything, at least Argus was standing beside her. She felt that it was better than she deserved.

They may not have known each other for long, but this short journey, and there shared experience had brought them close together in such a short amount of time. And after this, she knew she would never forget the boy or what he did for her.

"We should keep moving," Argus insisted, and the pair continued the march through the mountains.

A few minutes later, they heard the howling of fire wolves in the distance behind them. The two immediately turned, startled, and a blue wave of energy blew past them, revealing bright blue footprints in the sand leading towards them.

Flame Princess picked her foot, and found a bright blue print right where she'd been stepping. When she put it down somewhere else and picked it up again, another bright blue footprint appeared. She realized exactly what this meant; they were being hunted, and there would be no hiding this time.

The wolves howled once more, closer than before.

"Come on!" Argus shouted.

The two of them sprinted forward, but they knew they could not outrun fire wolves. As seconds passed the howling grew louder and louder, until it was finally right on top of them.

The two ran into a ditch that was surrounded by high walls of solidified magma on either side. It had once been a large river of lava, now depleted and cooled.

Two fire wolves with soldiers mounted on top armed with spears and shields pounced onto the walls of the ditch and ran along side them, but they did not attack. Not yet, at least.

Argus and Flame Princess looked to the side as the wolves quickly ran passed them. When they were ahead, the wolves pounced into the ditch in front of them, cutting them off from their destination.

More soldiers mounted on wolves appeared from behind, and others jumped down from the ledges of the ditch as well. The wolves circled their prey, snarling and foaming from their mouths; showing their vicious incisors.

Argus clutched to FP's cloak and hid behind her. She looked around for some way out, but they were completely surrounded.. They were so close to making it out, but it was over. There was no escape.

The wolves parted ways in the middle and allowed their leader to slowly stride up proudly to the center. Axel was mounted on his wolf with Argus' mother and sisters seated on the wolf behind him. He wore that wicked smile.

"Do your thing," Axel told the mother. She dismounted from the wolf, as did her daughters, and together they ran up to Argus for a reunion.

"Mom? Atheia? Filia?" Argus was overjoyed, "you're okay."

The three of them embraced Argus in a gigantic group hug, and the tears began to overflow.

Flame Princess was touched by the warming display of affection the family shared for each other. That was something she, herself, never had, but always longed for deep inside.

The wolves moved in closer and snarled, and the fuzzy feelings dissipated.

Axel passed by the embracing family of flame people on his wolf and approached the Flame Princess with newfound respect and admiration.

"When I realized that you had survived our encounter, I couldn't believe it," he told her, "you are difficult to kill."

Flame Princess boiled with anger hearing his voice again. She felt the rage inside her slowly building, the urge for destruction wanting to take hold of her, but she wouldn't let it. She remembered her promise to herself and allowed it to subside.

"I won't make the same mistake twice, however," Axel continued. He raised a hand to the family behind him and a blast of lightning surged from his fingertips, electrifying them. There cries of agony were horrific, Argus' especially. Even the soldiers around him were shaking in their armor, disgusted by what their leader was doing.

"Stop, please!" Flame Princess begged, "Don't hurt them! I'll do anything!"

Axel allowed the lightning to cease for the time being. His second in command came up to him on his wolf, a look of moral panic on his face.

"Sir, we can't do this," he pleaded, "these are the citizens of the fire kingdom. It's our duty to protect them, not torture them."

Alex ignored him and instead focused his attention on Phoebe.

"You will do exactly as I say," he told her, "and if you do not…"

Axel shot more lightning from his hands, and the family's screams continued. Flame Princess fell to her knees and covered her ears, desperately trying to muffle the screams. It was driving her to insanity.

Axel stopped the spell once he was certain his message rang true.

"Sir!" The second in command was now furious, "you are going to kill them!"

"Precisely," he replied, to the horror of all the soldiers around him, "but that isn't going to happen, is it Phoebe?"

Flame Princess looked up at him, stunned that this stranger from another land knew her real name.

"You know my name?" She asked him.

Axel ignored the question.

"If you want them to live and you want the pain to stop, you will do as I say," he told her, "Do. You. Under. Stand?"

Flame Princess knew she had no choice in the matter, but another question crossed her mind.

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" She asked, "you wanted me dead before. What changed?"

"In due time, my princess, you will die," he replied, "but there is something… unique about you. Something I did not see before. Something I wish to study."

His cryptic response offered no answers to Flame Princess, but she knew it would be the fullest extent of his answer.

"You did not answer my previous question," he put his hand towards the family, the lightning charged at his fingertips, but Flame Princess stopped him before he could unleash the terrible spell upon them.

"I'll do whatever you want," she agreed.

"Then you'll be coming with me," he told her, and then looked to a pair of soldiers, "cease her!"

The two of them got off their mounts and approached the princess cautiously, one holding out handcuffs, the other holding her at spear point.

Axel returned to the family. The pain they endured was still fresh.

"As promised, you may leave," he told them, "but never _ever_ try to escape again."

As the two soldiers were preparing to bind Flame Princess, two fiery javelins flew out from the right side of the ditch, and hit both the soldiers in the chest, killing them both.

Everyone in the ditch looked in the direction from which the spears came, and on the ledge of the molten mass, mounted on a fire wolf, was a flame knight wearing a set of armor bearing the emblem of a flaming spade with an arrow going through it. It was Argus' father, come to rescue them.

Axel recognized the knight from his emblem, the same one he saw at the house mantled above the fireplace.

Several more armed knights mounted on fire wolves strode up from both sides of the ditch, surrounding the soldiers.

"Step away from the princess!" the father spoke with an assertive tone.

The soldiers complied, but Axel remained staring into the eyes of the renegade knight with anger.

"You swore an oath to the rightful king!" He reminded the knight, not realizing that he had already retired his oath and his position, "You swore to serve faithfully and loyally until the king's death and the rightful heir takes the throne. Flame King lives, and is still the rightful king. If you do this, you are in violation of that oath. By order of the king, stand down, and he will pardon you of your transgressions!"

"I swore that oath when I was a knight," was his reply, "I am a knight no longer."

He threw his spear and hit axel where his black leather armor was weakest, in his chest right beneath the shoulder. The blow sent Axel off his wolf, and in response, the frightened wolf took off.

The soldiers retaliated, but they were outnumbered and outflanked. The band of renegade knights swarmed them, many pouncing atop their fiery adversaries and allowing their steeds to sink their teeth into them while others threw their spears and javelins at the rest.

Axel returned to his feet, and watched as all his soldiers were killed before his eyes. The final soldier, his second in command looked with dread as a spear hit him at the heart of his elemental matrix, incinerating him and returning his ashes to the earth.

With the battle won, the knights and their wolves descended into the ditch and surrounded the remaining wizard. He removed the fiery spear and clutched the wound on his chest, trying to put pressure on it.

Argus and his family got back onto their feet and huddled behind the father.

"Martha," he spoke to his wife, "take the kids somewhere safe. I'll find you when I'm done."

Martha and her daughters ran back down the mountainside, but Argus stayed behind. He didn't want to abandon Flame Princess.

He examined the emblem pinned to the knight's armor more closely, and his eyes grew wide.

"It was you," Axel cried out in a furious revelation, "you were the one who found her, you were the one who saved her life, and you were the one who helped her escape!"

The man ignored the wizard, looking back to his son when he did not leave.

"Argus, I'm proud of you, but its time for you to go," he told his son when he did not leave.

"But what about her?" he asked his father, pointing to FP.

"She can finish this on her own," he replied, "now go."

Argus left, but before he disappeared at the bottom of the ditch, he took one last look at the fiery princess behind him. She looked back, wondering if they would ever see each other again.

With Argus gone now, the father looked to the Flame Princess.

"My king, we will take it from here," he told her, "get out of the fire kingdom and find help, for all our sakes."

"What about you?" She asked him.

"I will remain to organize a resistance in your absence," he told her, "when you return, there will be an army waiting for you to command."

Flame Princess nodded, then continued up the ditch alone. When she was far enough away, the knight continued his business with the wizard.

"Men, he's too dangerous to be left alive," he told them, "you all know what to do."

The knights with the remaining spears chucked them at Axel. Believing that he was soon to be dead, they let their guard down.

Axel clasped his hands together, and in a flash, several translucent arms shot out from Axel's body in all directions, grabbing each of the spears in mid air and throwing them right back at each of the knights that threw them, killing all of the ranged weapon fighters.

The remaining knights flinched as their fellow knights fell. They charged at the wizard with their swords and axes. Axel laughed.

The wizard spun around, and a sphere of white energy revolved around him. He unleashing a burst of concussive energy that sent the knights flying in all directions, many of them splattered against the walls, killing them instantly. Those that survived, the father included, were badly injured and incapacitated.

The father's helmet was knocked off his head in the blow and all of their wolves were either dead or fled in terror.

Axel approached each of them; gently raising their chins so that he could meet their eyes as he dealt the killing blows. He absorbing the life force of all of them, killing them all slowly and painfully, healing the spear wound he took from the father and regaining all the strength he had already lost.

He saved the father for last, and by that time, the wizard was fully healed and rejuvenated.

Flame Princess was a distance away when she heard the booming noise of the familiar concussive spell. She turned around and watched in horror as her protectors were picked off one by one. She ran back in a hurry, eager to protect those any that remained.

The father struggled to get back onto his feet and was suffering from a serious concussion. He pulled a flame sword from its sheath, swung at Axel when he was close, and missed.

The wizard grabbed his wrist and twisted it, jabbing his fingertips into his fiery flesh until the knight loosened his grip and dropped the sword. When he did, the wizard did not let up; enjoying the pain he was causing the former knight.

The pain became so unbearable it brought the knight to his knees. Axel prepared one final spell that would finish him off. It would be a killing blow fitting for a traitor like him.

The spell was the very same one he had used against Cinnamon Bun: the ghoul's touch. He brought a closed fist forward for a jab; aiming for his elemental matrix, the heart, but a wall of fire erupted between them.

The arm grabbing at the knights wrist was severed and flew off into the air.

The father was freed, and Axel cried in agony as blood spurted from his stump.

Flame Princess had intended to use the spell defensively. She did not intend to cause him any harm, and when she saw the decapitated hand, she was horrified.

Axel turned to her, gnashing his teeth.

"I don't want to fight you," she pleaded, refusing to give in to her destructive urges.

Axel growled and lashed out with his most powerful spell; unleashing a torrent of magical energy at her. Flame Princess deflected it with a great wall of fire that matched the strength of his spell. The two forces collided in the middle, but neither of them gained any traction.

There powers were equal, and eventually collapsed under the weight of the massive surge of energy.

A devastating explosion sent the three of them flying off the ditch in opposite directions. The father landed near Flame Princess, while Axel fell from the opposite end, further off the mountain. All of them were very badly injured from the fall, but none of them were quite dead.

Flame Princess struggled to get up. She held her left arm, severely hurt from the fall, but noticed the knight lying a few feet beside her, face down on the floor, not moving.

The fiery girl tried to get up, but a serious leg injury prevented her. She was forced to crawl to the knight's body, praying and hoping that he was still alive.

She got their as quick as she could and turned him onto his back, cradling his head in her arms. He opened his eyes slightly, lava blood dripping from his face and body.

"My king," he said weakly and deeply, "I'm sorry. I failed you."

"Don't say that! You haven't failed anyone," Flame Princess told him, analyzing the wounds. They were really bad, worse than she had anticipated. She recoiled, knowing he wasn't going to last long, "Glob, I need to get you out of here!"

The knight held a hand to his chest, feeling that the end was near.

"There's nothing you can do for me," he told her, "my time has come."

Flame Princess refused to believe it.

"No, it isn't," she insisted, "just stay still. I can fix this."

"There's nothing you can do, milady," he replied, coughing, "you need to stop that wizard. Stop your father."

Flame Princess looked into his face, on the verge of tears, wind blowing the front of her fiery hair to the side.

"Promise me, my king," he pleaded, "promise me you will not let our kingdom fall to darkness. Promise me. Promise…"

The knight's held titled off to the side, motionless. Flame Princess watched the life vanish from his eyes. She knew he was dead, and alas, she could not save the man who had saved her.

She laid her head against his chest, his hand still clinging there, and, using her arms as a cushion, she bitterly wept for the fallen knight.

* * *

Chunks of molten rock had fallen upon an unconscious Axel. Minutes later, he awoke, and used the last of his magical reserves to lift the rubble off of him.

His body was battered, and broken in some areas. He reset a dislocated left leg, and screamed in pain. He examined the stump where his hand used to be. A pool of blood had formed on the floor, and he was losing blood fast. It needed to be stopped.

Axel limped his way over to a stream of lava nearby and dipped his stubble into it, screaming in agony. He couldn't keep it there for more than a few seconds, and when he was done, he quickly rolled away.

The top of his stump caught fire. Even when the flames eventually died out, the searing pain did not leave. The stump was black now, cauterized, but the bleeding was stopped, at least.

The wizard's neatly trimmed hair was a mess, flocks of hair covered his forehead and eyes and other parts of his face. He was more than furious. He was enraged.

Axel now realized that he had made the same error as Flame King in trying to spare the princess himself. It was an error he knew he could no longer fault the fiery ruler for, but now he was determined to find her and end her.

He attempted to use his detect footprints spell, but he could only muster up enough magic for a radius of a few feet. He panted, exhausted. He could only use the time he had to recharge his juices.

"Phoebe!" He shouted in anguish at the top of his lungs.

Flame Princess heard his cry in the distance and stopped her weeping. She tried to get up, but her leg prevented her.

She crawled away from the body of the dead knight frantically, trying to find someplace to go and hide, but she was slow and unable to move more than a few inches at a time.

The fiery princess crawled to a shelf of the mountain, and began to slide down, eventually tumbling and crashing into jagged rocks at the bottom.

She gnashed her teeth at the stinging pains all over her body. The wind was knocked out of her, and she struggled to find her breath.

"Phoebe!" He shouted once more, "Come out you coward!"

His voice was a little closer this time, but not close enough that she was concerned.

She continued to crawl further away, but she was beginning to slip. She grabbed at the dirt, trying to drag herself forward, inch by inch, but eventually, the last of her energy was drained and she became unconscious, on the brink of death.

* * *

Flame Princess returned to the dark abyss, floating aimlessly once more into nothingness, and towards nothing, surrounded by black.

She decided she didn't want to live anymore. She was sick of dealing with the struggles and the pain life brought. She wanted the darkness to consume her. She prayed for death to take her, but death never came.

She opened her eyes slightly, and in the distance she saw the figure of Cinnamon Bun and, standing next to him, the knight that died to protect her.

She straightened her body and began to move her feet forward. She wanted them to be there, to be real, but she was afraid that they were merely apparitions.

There was no ground beneath her when she walked, but she was moving forward. With every step she took, a vibration echoed through the void visibly like a droplet of water landing in a pool that is utterly still.

The two of them were facing away from her in the distance, but as she drew closer they turned to face her. None of them spoke. Rather, they waited for her to speak first.

"Is this a dream?" she asked them, "Am I dead?"

"No," Cinnamon Bun told her, "you are at a crossroad; a plane of existence beyond the realm of the living and of the dead."

She could not begin to express how much she missed the sound of his voice, but when she thought about what he said, she became confused.

"But if we are beyond life and death, then why are you here?" She asked them curiously.

"We are here because you are here," the knight told her, as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I don't understand," she admitted, not knowing what else to say or ask.

"When you became unconscious, you were close to death," Cinnamon Bun further explained.

"Both times," the knight put in, referencing the time at the lake as well as now.

Flame Princess was surprised he knew about the first time, as she hadn't told him about her previously experience.

"But the first time, you saw me only as an echo," Cinnamon Bun continued, "That was because you were on the verge of consciousness."

"But this time," the knight spoke, "you have only just become unconscious. That allows you to have a deeper connection to this place, and to us."

"Is this real then?" She asked, putting her hand up to feel the cinnamon bun's soft, syrupy skin.

It felt as real as anything she felt before. She closed her eyes, and her tears fell into the unknown.

"This place is as real as any other plane of existence," the candy person replied, "we have a shared consciousness in this place."

"The web that binds our souls, our world, and all our decisions together can be accessed only slightly in this place," the knight added, "however, I believe it is beyond our control what memories we share."

Flame Princess was trying to process the information, but it was a lot to take in. She knew that there were significant gaps to close for any of it to make sense, but the information she needed to acquire was not yet revealed to her.

"I can't do this alone," she told them, "but who can I turn to? I have no allies, no friends. Glob, I'm leaving my kingdom! I'm abandoning my people in the feint hope that someone, somewhere might be willing to help! Who would risk their life for my kingdom? Who would risk their life to correct my mistakes? Who would risk their life for me?"

"There is still Finn the Human," Cinnamon Bun suggested.

Flame Princess blushed when she heard his name. It had been so long since she saw him, she had almost forgotten.

"I haven't seen him in almost three years," she said, clutching at her arm, "would he even help me? Does he even care?"

"Of course he cares! He's a hero," Cinnamon Bun reminded her, "helping people is what heroes do."

Flame Princess was now beginning to regain her consciousness, and the void around her began to fade away with Cinnamon Bun and the other knight.

"It's time for us to go," the knight told the Cinnamon Bun. The two of them turned around and headed the other way, towards the realm of the dead.

"Wait!" Flame Princess called out. The two turned briefly, but she was speaking specifically to the knight, "before you go, what is your name?"

The knight smiled warmly.

"In life, my name was Alcaeus," he told her, "remember me when I am gone, and when you can, let my wife and children know what happened. Tell them I died protecting them."

"I promise," Flame Princess swore, tears flooding her eyes, "I will never forget you, and I will make sure the kingdom never forgets you! You are a hero!"

"That is all I ask," Alcaeus bowed his head, and the void finally faded from view. The darkness folded in on itself once more, and Flame Princess was awake again.

* * *

Flame Princess felt a nose brushing against her hand, and then against her cheek. She heard a whine urging her to get up. When she awoke, she saw a fire wolf prodding her along, one that she recognized.

"Jake Two?" She called out to him weakly.

She wondered if he was even real and if she was actually dead and didn't know it.

Cinnamon Bun's royal steed lied down beside her, and brushed himself against her. He wanted her to get on his back.

She felt weak and dreary, battered and beaten, but she managed to do so, and collapsed on top of him. While she slept, Jake Two got up, and ran up the mountain and passed the border of the fire kingdom.

* * *

Argus and his family heard the concussive boom in the distance, and the silence that followed. They knew something terrible had happened, and immediately they ran for cover.

Argus led his mom and his sister underneath on shadowy causeway. They heard another louder explosion, and another silence ensued.

Eventually, they heard Axel's cries for Phoebe, both times, and afterwards, the only sounds they heard for a while was the bubbling lava that was flowing into the causeway overhead. They waited for a long time before deciding to move out.

The mother peaked out first, and when she saw nobody, she led her children towards another one of their hiding spots located in the region, an ancient tomb concealed by a large stone. They moved inside quickly, and pushed the stone back into place.

Minutes past, and nothing happened. Then suddenly, the boulder that covered the entrance flew out into the far distant side of the volcano and shattered to pieces.

The light shined through and Axel saw the family huddling together in fear. Argus began to cry, as did his sisters.

The wizard's black, leathery armor was completely ruined. A large gash had cut its way through the armor across his chest. His neatly trimmed hair was a mess, locks flowing off the sides of his head and blowing into his face. He gnashed his teeth viciously, blood pouring from his mouth and lips and forehead. The wounds on Axel's body were serious, but not life threatening, and they only exacerbated and amplified his rage and anger.

Using a spell and some of the energy he gained back in the last few minutes, Axel pulled Argus to him in the air, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, holding him off the ground using his only remaining hand.

He looked into the boy's eyes with an intense, almost irresistible urge to end his life.

The mother ran up, and fell at Axel's feet, pleading him to spare the boy, and kill her instead. The girls wailed in the corner together. Axel laughed.

"I'm not going to kill him. I'm not going to kill any of you, yet," he told her, "I have a use for you all, but for now, you are _my_ prisoners."

 _ **A/N: Aaaaannnnndddd... we are officially out of the fire kingdom. The next chapter will be our first look at the grasslands, three years later. This will also be the first time that Phoebe herself has stepped out into the grasslands in almost three years so it will be a big moment for her. We will be reintroduced to some familiar characters.**_

 _ **I've only recently started working on Chapter 4, so it might take a little while to get out. That's why I made sure this chapter was long.**_

 _ **So, I've got quite a few reviews. I didn't expect to get so many of them in just three days. I'm flattered that some of you responded. Now, it's my turn to respond to each of you.**_

 _ **\- Guest: "I'm glad. It's tricky developing a serious story for a series that purposefully poked fun at its rather serious themes. I'm happy I can do it justice for you."**_

 _ **\- GarrusVakariann: "I just realized you spelled "Vakariann" with two n's. lol. I missed that the first time. Love Garrus too btw! Anyways, thanks for coming back! Glad you're enjoying it so far!**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **\- xGBL13x: "I'm happy to fill that void of the series. Other stories on fanfiction do that really well, especially Ember Alias by Ooobserver, but I wanted something that was more consistent with the canon. The unfortunate aspect of starting fanfiics mid series (as Ooobserver did with Ember Alias) is that often times the events that come after will conflict with the story you create. That, personally, takes me out of a story. Now that the show is officially over, I can create a story that is consistent with the canon without having to worry, which is nice."**_

 _ **\- Guest: "You're not the first to share those compliments. I greatly appreciate it!**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **\- AlecDoUrden: "Speak of the devil..."**_

 _ **\- Guest: "Lots of 'Guest' names in the reviews. I plan on giving the human kingdom an important role in the story, and the night-watchmen states aspect of the story is heavily influenced by the political philosophy of Thomas Jefferson."**_

 _ **\- NoNameGiven: "Flame King is not a smart character, even on the show. That's why it was so easy for him to trust the wizard, especially after he put him back into power. Thanks for the compliment btw!**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **\- Pitfall: "Awesome! I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the story further down the line! Keep reading, and discover how the story turns out!"**_

 _ **\- FanOfVariks: "Believe it or not, you have all the tools you need to know what her goals are (the ultimate goal, specifically). If you dig deep and think deeply enough, you might just figure it out. As the story progresses though, the answers will begin to surface and become more clear. I'm really glad you're enjoying it!"**_

 _ **\- KRUSA1: "I heard about this theory as well from Uncivilized Elk's youtube video on the Islands series, although he provides an alternative theory that I think is really interesting about how he might actually be repressing the memories. That being said, we do not know for sure, and in that light, his arc is not finished. I would have liked to see how that act finished for both Martin and Finn, as well as Minerva. As for the second point, I would really like to see that video so I might better understand this opinion. Thanks so much for the comments, by the way. I really appreciate your opinions and responses!"**_

 _ **\- Dragonstorm0: "That's true. A lot of the Finn x Flame Princess fics are very silly and goofy and, personally, that takes me out of those stories COMPLETELY, especially considering if you dig deeply into the philosophical themes of Adventure Time and think about everything that is going on in the show, it is really, really, REALLY dark! It's a very deep show that doesn't take itself seriously, and I that makes the themes easy to digest. I actually believe the next step for the series (if it had continued) would have been to become more serious in its development as the writers get better at writing character arcs and the AMAZING mini-series (especially Stakes and Elements)."**_

 _ **\- Guest: "Thanks! One of my talents is writing original characters, especially villains, and giving them believable motivations and/or entertaining personalities."**_

 _ **\- Scumwall: "Great! After you've finished reading the first few chapters, send another review and let me know what you think so far!"**_

 _ **\- Virxas: "That's really flattering. Thanks!"**_ **:)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Grasslands

**Chapter Four**

 **The Grasslands**

Simon Petrikov, once known as the infamous Ice King, floated seamlessly through the clouds. He felt a hand grab his shoulder, and he turned to face a familiar woman.

"You're day dreaming again, Simon," Betty told him, "we should get really to work soon. The summit is tomorrow."

"Betty?" He asked, "Betty, is it really you?"

"Of course it's me, silly," she goofed, "it's not like I went anywhere."

Simon gazed at his surroundings. He was back in his workroom back in Scandanavia, before the bombs dropped. He looked to his worktable, and there is was: the vile crown.

"I remember this," he said to himself, "this was the day I put on the crown, and lost you. But that was a long time ago."

Simon thought a moment.

"Wait, _this_ was a long time ago. How are you here?" He asked, "You should be-"

He looked back to Betty, but she was gone, and when he glanced around the room once more, he discovered that he was no longer there. Instead, he was standing in the middle of a street surrounded by the wreckage of burning Scandinavian buildings and the uproar of terrified citizens being torn apart by zombies.

He fled the streets quickly.

"Betty? Betty!" Simon called out, "Princess, where did you go? Please don't leave me again!"

There was no response.

He approached a four-way intersection, turned left, and stopped.

High in the sky, the clouds grew dark and the entity Golb descended from a black hole in the sky. It looked straight at him.

Simon could not bear to stare directly at its piercing gaze, so he looked at the ground instead, and there he saw the crown again. Its three bright red gems sparkled brightly even under the cover of darkness. It called out to him.

Suddenly, all was silent. Simon returned his gaze to Golb.

A flash of blinding light radiated from the demon and blew Simon down and onto his back. It lasted a few seconds before the flare withdrew. Simon took some time for his eyes to readjust, and then he looked up in the sky. Golb was now merged with the essence of Betty. She looked straight at him.

Simon quickly turned and ran away from this nightmare. He passed through the streets as violence erupted all around him. Finn, Flame Princess, Huntress Wizard, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Princess Bubblegum, and the many heroes that fought in the Gum War skirmished with an onslaught of monsters. While they fought, but Simon ran and hid in an alley.

He leaned against the wall, and held his knees, panting, waiting for it all to end, but when he heard a little girl crying down the alleyway, the haunting voice drew him in and resonated deeply within him. Guilt swelled up inside his chest.

"Marceline?" He called out.

The sounds of battle ceased, and left Simon alone with the voice of a crying young Marceline.

She did not respond, and gave away no indication that she heard him. He walked down the darkened path cautiously.

"Marceline?" He called out to her again, a little louder, "I- is that you?"

"Simon!" the girl responded and screamed in terror, "Simon, help me, please!"

"Marceline!" Simon sprinted down an endless maze of tunnels. Her cries for help never ceased.

"Simon!" She cried again.

"Marceline!" He yelled, "where are you?"

The screams echoed throughout the maze. He followed the voice, coming closer to the source until he finally came to the end of the alley and found himself in a snowy ravine.

At the end, he found a young Marceline crying by herself in the snow. He ran up to her.

"Marceline, what's wrong?" He asked, "has anyone hurt you?"

She looked up at him. Tears filled her eyes.

"You did, Simon," She said, "Why did you leave me? You promised you'd protect me. You promised you'd send someone. Why didn't you?"

"I- " he wanted to say something to her, but the guilt overwhelmed him and he could think of nothing to say to her or to himself.

He heard a villainous laugh from above, and when he looked up, he saw the Ice King; the madness visible in his milky white eyes.

"That's not possible," he whispered.

He wanted to take Marceline far away from here, to grab her and keep her safe, but when he looked back to her, she was gone, replaced by the frozen skeleton of a little girl.

He looked up at Ice King, who used his magical powers to drown the world in a sea of ice and snow, and then the mad wizard set his eyes upon Simon.

"You are no match for me!" He shouted, laughing maniacally, "I'm the Ice King!"

"No, I don't want to fight…" Simon protested, but it was too late.

Ice King threw an icicle spear straight through Simon's heart, and with that, he awoke from his slumber and the nightmare was over.

He looked all around him. He was back in his mountain home, and had fallen asleep at his desk after studying the Enchiridion and other magical texts all night.

He felt his face; his black beard was there and normal sized, his cracked glasses were there, his nose was normal. He felt no holes anywhere on his chest from the icicle spear. He took a broken shard of a mirror on the desk and peered into it. His hair was black, and his pupils were normal. Everything was in its place, but the nightmares that haunted his dreams were growing worse with every passing night.

He looked around his room. It was a pigsty; paper littered the floors, his desk was stacked with old dusty books, tombs, and moldy food plates, and the machine he had been constructing in the center of the room was beginning to rust.

Simon hadn't showered in weeks, much less shaved, and the room was beginning to stink really badly because of him, and he had been wearing the same set of clothes for the last twelve weeks.

He checked the time: 11:42 AM. He overslept, and it was high time he got back to work.

He triple checked his algorithms to be certain his math was correct, and then he made the necessary adjustments and repairs to the machine he'd forgot to do yesterday.

He activated it. It passed Phase One without a hitch, but when he got to Phase Two, the machine sparked, the engine died, the phase-pulse converter began to spin out of control, and finally it shut down.

He made the necessary repairs and tried it again and again and again and again, but each time it would not work. When he had enough, he passed through the debris of trash littering the floor and began to hit the machine in frustration.

"Why! Won't! You! Work!" He shouted with every hit.

On the last hit, he allowed his hand to remain on the cold metal. He fell to his knees, turned around, and rested his back against the machine. He looked at the clock. It was now 7: 34 PM.

Simon did the only thing he could think to do. He clasped his hands together and prayed.

"I am so tired," he said, "is it hopeless?"

Nobody answered.

"If there is a god, please, hear me," he continued, "What am I doing wrong?"

Again nobody answered.

Simon gave up. He sat there for an hour before looking down at a mess of papers that littered the floors, and noticed something he had missed. He crawled and picked up two sheets of paper, and read through each of them.

"Of course," he exclaimed, "that's why it isn't working!"

Simon stuffed the papers in his pocket and trudged up the stairs to the main floor. On the left side of the room was the exit to the outside. On the right of the room was his bed and kitchen area; he hadn't slept in his bed in months. And directly ahead on the other side of the room, was a memorial he had built for Betty.

The memorial was a table decorated with an elegant pink tablecloth, colorful mountain flowers, perfume, and other marvelous things. At the center of the table was a framed photo of Betty, the only thing he had to remember her by.

Simon walked up to the table and picked up the photo and stared into it deeply. He felt tears come on, so he closed his eyes to hold them back. He refused to give up, especially now that he was so close.

Simon placed the frame atop his bed, took a hot shower, put on a new pair of clothes, and began to pack for a long trip.

Simon prepared four-day rations, packed a tent, compass and map, waterproof matches, flint and steel, a sleeping bag, tarp, two pans, iodine, a canteen filled with freshly acquired mountain spring water, and other necessary supplies. He took the photo from his bed out of its frame and put it in his shirt pocket, being certain not to wrinkle it in any way.

Simon took a long walking stick and, for the first time in almost three years, he anxiously exited his mountain home.

He stood out from the peak of the mountainside to gaze out at the vast sprawling world of Ooo; it was the best view anyone could get of the land, accentuated beautifully by a setting sun scorching the clouds and evening sky.

The anxiety he felt vanished in an instant.

Simon took his first step down the long trail the bottom of the mountain. He crossed through the mountains and crossed the southern border by the time the sun had set.

The Rock People that lived on the edge of the border waved goodbye to their human neighbor as he passed by.

By eleven o'clock, Simon made it to the edge of Lake Szelezon, and set up camp on its shores.

He pitched his tent, set the tarp over it, prepped his sleeping bag, set up a nice campfire, and cooked some of the rations.

He enjoyed the well-cooked meal, and when he was finished, he sat down upon a patch of soft dirt and stared out at the lake, listening to the rustling water brush up against the rocky shore. The moonlight touched the lake; its reflection shined brilliantly in the water's edge.

He laid his head back against a moss-covered rock, and simply listened to all the beautiful sounds of nature; the water, the breeze, the rustling of leaves, the music of the crickets, and the croaking of frogs.

He stared into the darkened sky, smiling, and closed his eyes. Soon, he fell fast asleep, and dreamed sweet dreams for the first time in three years.

Finally, he felt hope that he might finally be able to bring her back.

* * *

Jake Two carried Flame Princess out of the fire kingdom and into the grasslands, laying down for her to get of his back.

Her color was fading, and she struggled to climb off the beast's back, but once she did, she was able to burn through a large patch of grass isolated from the rest of the pasture and absorb its nutrients.

The food restored much of her strength and vitality. Her color returned to her, and many of the wounds she suffered slowly began to heal. This was one of the benefits of being a Fire Elemental.

She sat up straight, and turned to Jake Two who stared at her, mouth open and tongue hanging from his mouth, wagging his tail happily.

"Good boy," she told him, scratching the top of his head and behind his ears. Jake Two closed his eyes and continued to wag his tail.

Flame Princess stared out into the wide-open plains; the grasslands, for the first time in three years. She raised a hand to the grass and allowed its bladed edge to brush against her skin. The heat caused the grass to combust instantly, and the fire spread further down until it hit the edge of a small pond nearby.

It hurt her, but something about the grasslands entranced her. Somehow, the freedom she now felt overshadowed the sting of the water.

"It's been too long," she told the fire wolf, breathing in deeply the fresh air, "but I'm finally back."

Jake Two tilted his head to the side.

She stood up, closed her eyes, and breathed the fresh air some more. The breeze felt nice against her fiery skin, and her flames grew brighter with every flow of air. She looked up into the blue sky, watching the clouds pass by overhead.

She smiled, but grew sullen when she looked back to her canine companion.

"I'm sorry, but I can't take you with me," she told him. Jake Two stopped wagging his tail and whined, "the grasslands are no place for a fire wolf. If I bring you with me, you could get seriously hurt."

Jake Two whined some more, nuzzling her with his snout and trying to get under her arms. She giggled and scratched his ears some more. He began to lick her hand.

"I want you to come too," she admitted, "but you'll be much safer in the wilds of the fire kingdom. At least then you'll have food and fire."

Jake Two buried his face in the dirt and held his rear end in the air, wagging his tail.

"No, Jake Two!" She said sternly, "Go home!"

Flame Princess started to walk off in the other direction. Jake Two began to follow.

"No!" She shouted, "Sit! Sit."

The obedient hound did as his master commanded.

"Good," she said, "now stay."

She moved away slowly. Jake Two obediently stayed put, but began to whine again.

"Stay," she told him one last time to be sure he got the message.

Flame Princess walked off into the distance. Jake Two stayed put, and when he could see her no longer, he somberly walked back into the borders of the fire kingdom.

* * *

Axel brought Argus and his family back to the fire palace in chains. He dragged them through the front door using his one good hand, and threw them before the throne.

The human's battered and broken physical appearance attracted the eyes of everyone in the room.

Many of the nobles gasped audibly even as he entered, and even the Flame King appeared perturbed.

His arm was not only missing, but also the black, ashy muck that used to be flesh covered the stubble of his arm was rotten; bubbles formed on its surface, and pus and black-brown fluids were dripping onto the floor and evaporating on impact.

"My king," Axel shouted angrily for all to hear, ignoring his own pain, "I bring before you four traitors!"

He lined up the four prisoners at the throne, and had them kneel.

"These usurpers conspired against you my king," he told the court, "Flame Princess lives, and they helped her escape the borders of the kingdom!"

Murmurs erupted throughout palace.

"Flame Princess is alive?" They all whispered.

Flame King was secretly ecstatic to discover that his daughter was alive, as were the members of the court that wished to be free from tyranny.

"By law, the penalty for these traitors is death by fire!" Axel announced, "I suggest we make the execution public and ensure that no one else dare defies our great king ever again!"

"I am the king, Axel, not you," Flame King reminded him, "I will decide the punishment for the crime.

Flame King got off his throne and approached Martha.

"Is it true?" He asked her, "Is my daughter still alive?"

Martha nodded her head solemnly. She looked to her three trembling children.

"Please don't hurt my kids," she pleaded, "punish me if you have to, but leave them out of this. They're just children."

Flame King looked to Axel.

"What happened to my soldiers?" He asked him.

"They're all dead," he replied.

"I don't see how this woman, much less any of her kids, could have committed such an act," Flame King replied skeptically.

"They were killed by a band of renegade knights," he replied, "I slaughtered them all, but I lost its leader and the Flame Princess. I believe they are traveling together."

Flame King thought for a moment.

"Put these traitors in the dungeons for now," Flame King ordered, "I will decide the punishment later."

Axel's eyes grew wide with anger.

"But my king, the law is clear," Axel reminded him, "the penalty for opposing your rule is death by fire. That was what you decided!"

"I will not execute children," he asserted.

"And what about her, then?" he pointed to Martha, "she's not a child. Execute her!"

Flame King stood silently for a long while. Atheia and Filia pleaded with the king to let her live while Argus remained silent.

"If you don't do this, you will look weak," the wizard told him, "this is your chance to assert your authority."

"No," Flame King decided, putting his foot down.

"No?" Axel narrowed his eyes.

"I will not take a mother away from her children," he explained, turning to his knights, "lock them in the dungeons! They are hereby sentenced to prison until I say otherwise."

"Yes, sir," one of the knights said. They took the prisoners away.

Axel looked around the room as the nobles and advisors began to whisper. He felt a tension escape them, and grew concerned.

"May I speak with you in private, my king?" Axel asked, "in the war room, perhaps?"

"Fine," he replied, "but make it quick, I have a busy schedule."

Axel limped all the way to the war room, clutching the gash across his chest. Flame King walked closely behind, he never took his eyes off of Axel.

The wizard walked inside the room first, holding the door open for the king and closing it behind them.

"What is this about, Axel?" Flame King asked.

"You know very well what this is about," Axel tried to maintain his composure, but was failing.

The two of them sat down on opposite sides of the war table in the center of the room.

"I spared them specifically for a public execution," he explained, "to give you the opportunity to assert your authority absolutely, and you squandered it. You announced that the penalty for treason is death, and you backpedaled completely."

"Killing women and children was not what I had in mind when I created that law," Flame King told him.

"What does it matter?" Axel asked.

"I am the king," Flame King retorted, "the only thing that should matter is what I decree."

Axel wanted to snicker at the hypocrisy of that statement, but he held his tongue.

"You cannot afford to look weak in front of your own court, my king," Axel retorted, "must I remind you that we are about to go to war, and this mercy could set the stage for a mutiny in the future."

"If a mutiny occurs, I will execute the insurgences, trust me," Flame King replied, "but again, I will not kill children nor will I kill their mother."

"You're not listening to me," he replied with a venomous whisper, "you are setting yourself up for failure, my king. I urge you to reconsider. You need to make a public execution to get your point across, otherwise, a rebellion with more than likely follow suit."

"This conversation is over," Flame King dismissed. He got up from his chair and headed for the exit.

Axel looked down in defeat, and prepared a spell.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this on you," he whispered to himself, he stopped the Flame King before he could make it to the door and waved his hand in front of his face, "Flame King, just do as I-"

"Dad! There you are!" Flint busted through the door before Axel could finish his spell.

The wizard did not have enough energy left to charm both of them, so he dispelled himself quickly before he could be caught in the act.

"What is it, Flint?" Flame King asked his son, rolling his eyes.

"The patrols we sent into the grasslands came back, they didn't find Flame Princess, but…" Flint looked to the wounded Axel, and stuttered, "Wh- Are… are you okay? We have shamans that can-"

"I'm fine!" Axel shouted.

He stormed out of the room, still clutching his wounds and limping all the way.

"What's with him?" Flint asked his father when Axel was gone.

"He's wounded. He just needs rest, and time to cool off," Flame King replied, "so, what did your patrols have to report?

"They looked everywhere, but found no sign of her," he reiterated.

"Then why are you wasting my time?" He asked his son.

"There's going to be a storm in the grasslands," he replied, "they didn't want to be in the area when it hit, so I've given them permission to return."

"And where are they now?"

"In the barracks," he replied, "I'm going to have them patrol the northern border, see if they can find anything in the mountains. It's a long shot, but it could be worth a look."

"Fine," he told him, "until then, lock the border down. Make sure nobody enters or leaves until after the storm has passed. Return to me when it's over."

"Right away," Flint told him.

He left the war room with a bow, leaving his father in isolation. Flame King remained to think and strategize for the future. Deep down, he knew that Axel had been right.

* * *

Axel returned to his private quarters an injured and utterly frustrated man. He took the candles from the end tables, lined them up on the coffee table, and recited the incantation that would allow him to communicate with Callista.

She answered the call. The flames erupted and transformed into the face of the fire elemental.

Axel fell back into the couch with great relief. He was finally able to rest for the first time since leaving the castle.

Callista smiled, not paying attention to the serious wounds he endured.

"I take it you found her then?" she asked him.

Axel nodded, sulking.

"You did so a lot quicker than I anticipated," she mused, "I knew you wouldn't let me down."

Axel clenched his fist so tightly his fingers turned white and the blood stopped circulating in his hands.

"She's alive," he told her, a whisper at first.

"You'll have to speak up, dear," Callista told him, "I can't hear you."

"Flame Princess is alive!" He shouted, "I failed."

The room was deathly silent for a long while. Callista's mouth hung open, and Axel fearfully awaited her response.

"I see," she finally replied, calm and collected, "this is unfortunate news, but perhaps it is for the best."

"What do you mean "it's for the best?"" Axel cried in outrage, "our plan failed! She survived the coup, and now she is a threat to everything we've worked for!"

"That is the unfortunate aspect," she admitted, "but we can't do anything about that now."

Axel readjusted his position on the couch, grunting as he moved, and he removed his belt.

"How'd you lose your arm?" She finally asked him.

"Take a guess," he replied.

"I warned you to be cautious of her," she reminded him, "she's powerful."

"Whatever," he spat, "how about you help fix my arm? Make yourself useful."

Axel put the belt between his teeth and clamped his jaw down into it. Callista reached out with her flames and branded the stubble of his arm. A fiery appendage shot out from the end of his arm. Axel screamed into his gag, and tears trickled down the sides of his face.

The fire transmogrified into bone and muscle mass, and flesh wrapped itself around the outside, restoring the arm he lost.

Axel removed the belt and threw it onto the ground. Bite marks and bits of blood covered the belt. He moved his new fingers up and down, still panting from the extraordinary pain he felt.

"So, where is the princess now?" Callista asked him once the screaming stopped.

"She's escaped the borders of the fire kingdom," Axel told her, "she's probably hiding out somewhere in Ooo, and will probably be harder to find now as a result."

"Not likely," Callista replied, "Phoebe is no coward, and hiding certainly isn't in her character. More likely, she's going to recruit armies to help her take back the fire kingdom."

"Then the war will escalate as a result," Axel commented, smiling, now understanding why Callista hadn't grown worried or angry, "we can use that to our advantage!"

"Indeed. I still would have preferred if you had killed her, but beggars can't be choosers," she shrugged, "no doubt the princess will return to free her people. We'll deal with her when the time comes. For now, you need to prepare the Flame King for the war. Be sure his rule is as strong as can be."

"That… We might have a problem there," he told her.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"It appears there may be some boundaries he is unwilling to cross in his quest for power," he clarified, "there were four villagers that helped Flame Princess escape. I managed to capture them, a boy, two girls, and their mother, and returned them to the palace for execution. Flame King imprisoned them instead, and has refused to consider execution as a fitting punishment the crime."

"Was it done publicly?" She asked him.

"Not publicly," Axel admitted, "but done in front of his nobles and advisors."

Callista cursed under her breath.

"Did you iterate to him the possible consequences for such weakness?" She asked, her temper flared.

"Of course I did!" he responded, offended that she would consider such a thing, "but he's a stubborn old fool! And I don't think I'll be able to change his mind no matter what I do."

Callista was silent.

"I'm open to suggestions," Axel told her.

"Hmm. Do you believe he could become a problem to us in the future?" She asked him.

"I believe his actions, or lack there of, might rather predictably bring about the end of his rule," he replied, "now that his court knows he has reservations for his own laws, he appears weak. No doubt the word will get out, and others might be swayed to disobey the law. They will become harder to control no doubt."

"In that case, there's something else we might want to try," she continued, "we could begin step two of our plan."

"But darling, Flame King isn't ready," Axel quirked, "I need more time to prepare him."

"This will only mean the acceleration of the war, not the start," she retorted, "you'll have time."

"Not a lot," he replied, "a week or two at most."

"So far, our plan has not worked out as well as had hoped," she consoled, "we need to improvise, unless you have a better idea."

Axel thought about it for a moment, and realized that she was correct.

"No, you're right," Axel shook his head in begrudging agreement, "I'll do what is necessary, but I am concerned we may be rushing things a little too far."

"I'll deal with the consequences when they come," she told him, "if this blows up in our faces, it'll be my fault as losing the Flame Princess was yours. You suffered the consequence for your mistakes, and I will most certainly suffer mine."

"When should I leave?" he asked.

"As soon as you can," she replied, "take some time to heal though. You look terrible."

"Good to know," he sulked, his words dripping with sarcasm, "I was beginning to think you didn't care."

She ignored his snarky remarks.

"Contact me when you're finished and report to me the events that occurs," she told him, "I would be very interested to know what takes place in the coming days."

With that, Callista vanished. Axel returned the candles to their appropriate places, and lied down on the bed, using his magical energy to enhance the natural healing process.

* * *

Simon felt a drop of rainwater land between his eyes, and another landed on the cracked lens of his glasses. He opened his eyes drowsily, staring up into the sky.

Dark clouds covered the stars. He looked at the fire. It was dying out from neglect, and the light that emanated from it was dim. From that, he knew he hadn't been asleep for too long.

He ran into his tent just before the rain began to pour down hard. He zipped up the tent, got down into his sleeping bag, and prepared to go back to sleep, but then he heard a scream in the distance.

Simon thought it was his imagination at first, but then he heard the scream again. He ran out into the pouring rain, and followed the screams to its source, through the thicket of trees and out into the open plains where he saw a flickering orange light in the distance. The scream came again, and louder. It was coming from the orange light, and whoever it was sounded like she was in pain.

He ran out to see what the orange light was, but as he got closer the light started to die out. When he finally made it to her, he recognized whom it was. Eventually, the screaming stopped.

"Flame Princess," he spoke out of surprise and horror.

The pouring rain left her unconscious on the ground in the fetal position.

Simon picked the fire elemental off the ground. She was cool to the touch.

In desperation, he ran back for the safety of the woods, covered by the thicket of trees. But in his haste, he tripped, and fell, and the body of the princess tumbled out into the open.

He raised his head from the mud and peered passed the body. Standing before them was a cloaked figure. The darkness combined with his impaired vision made him unable to identify who it was, or whether it was friend or foe. He froze in place.

The figure buried its hands into the earth, imbuing the soil with magical energy. The dirt tossed and thrashed around the princess' unconscious form; it rose and enveloped her in a cocoon, sheltering her from the watery needles that threatened to snuff her out.

With a flash of lightning, the figure was revealed to Simon for only a second. Her antlers gave her identity away. He could hardly believe it.

"Huntress Wizard?" He called out to her in the dark.

"Yep," she confirmed, smirking confidently.

Huntress Wizard uprooted her hands from the ground and removed a small pouch from her belt. She reached inside and pulled out a handful of seeds, and then she began planting them all around Simon and the mound that contained Flame Princess.

Each seed, upon being planted, shot up out of the ground, instantly growing into a fully-fledged tree. The branches and leaves of each tree wrapped and fused with the branches of the other trees, eventually forming an airtight sealed roof above them. Not a single drop of water got through, and the mound of dirt suddenly washed away back into the soil.

Flame Princess was blue, but alive. Simon got up and ran up to her putting his mud-kicked hand over her forehead. She was only growing colder.

Huntress Wizard approached them from behind.

"I sense her elemental matrix is going out," Huntress Wizard remarked, "she'll die soon if she doesn't get fuel."

She knelt down beside Simon who was on the verge of panicking. Huntress Wizard remained completely cool and collected.

"I can grow more trees and cut them down for her to use and burn up," she told him, "until then, feed her this."

He handed him the heart of an elk. Simon gagged.

"What is this thing?"

"It's an elk's heart," she replied, "it should be able to stabilize her. It might even revive some of her strength."

"How do you expect- she's unconscious," Simon protested.

"Just put it up to her mouth near her nose," she instructed, "her body, even in its unconscious state, should be able to smell the presence of food. When it does, her mouth will open and slowly consume it involuntarily. It's a natural instinct present in all animals."

"Do fire elementals even count as animals?" Simon asked, unsure.

"If she is, it'll work," she grabbed his wrist and put the heart in his hand, "quickly. She's running out of time.

Huntress Wizard ran outside to grow more trees while Simon attempted to force feed Flame Princess the heart. Her mouthed moved, but for some reason, she would not accept the food.

"She's not eating it!" Simon yelled loud enough for his voice to cut through the raging torrent.

"It may be too tough for her to chew!" She replied back, planting four more seeds, "take some in your mouth and chew it so she can swallow!"

"Chew it?" Simon yelled back, "I am not going to put a dead animals bloody heart in my mouth!"

"You will if you want her to live!" She called back; she conjured an axe and started hacking at the now fully-grown trees.

"Oh, I really don't want to do this!" Simon whined, but he sucked it up and took a chunk out of the heart.

The taste of the raw, bloody meat was revolting. He almost puked it out. He made sure the meat was as tender as he could possibly make it.

"What now?" Simon yelled out to her with a full mouth.

"Now put your mouth to hers and feed it to her like a baby bird!" She instructed.

His eyes watered as he slowly continued to chew a little more. Then, he put his lips to Phoebe's and pushed the tender heart inside. She chewed it instinctively and swallowed.

He did so again and again; gagging each time he put another piece of the heart in his mouth. She maintained her blue form, but she became stabilized by the nourishment.

"I think it's working!" He yelled back, excited.

"Good!" She replied.

Huntress Wizard returned with a stack of firewood in her hands, and laid it beside the princess. The rain dampened the wood, but it was still useable.

Together, Simon and Huntress Wizard laid the wood on top of the fiery girl like a pyre. Her body slowly burned away at the wood. Her red colors slowly returned, and finally her hair went ablaze.

She absorbed more and more of the wood until at last she was awake.

"Huh?" She appeared bewildered.

The girl analyzed her surroundings until she was fully conscious of her situation.

Simon and Huntress Wizard were crouched around the princess when she woke. The two looked to each other and smiled, gratified and relieved that they were able to save her life.

Flame Princess attempted to stand up, but she struggled, still battered from the storm.

"Don't try to move to quickly," Simon told her, gesturing for her to lie back down, "we saved your life, but you still need time to rest."

Huntress Wizard backed away from the walking fire hazard, fearing she might catch one of the ashes now floating up into the air. She leaned against a tree in the distance.

Flame Princess examined the bizarre structure that covered them.

"Where are we?" She asked, "are we in some kind of tree?"

"I grew trees for shelter, magical trees," Huntress Wizard told the fiery princess with a smirk, "and that's how I got the wood."

"The grasslands are no place for a fire elemental," Simon commented, "Why are you here, Flame Princess? Shouldn't you be back ruling the Fire Kingdom?"

Flame princess turned over on her side, facing away from them. She didn't give an answer, and all of them were silent for a while.

"I'm going to guard the perimeter and watch out for stalkers," Huntress Wizard told them.

"Be careful," Simon warned, "it's still dark. You never know what's lurking nearby."

"It's cool," she said, "I can see clearly in the dark with my Huntress Vision."

She ran far enough away from the camp and climbed a tree all the way to the top, which offered her a 360-degree view of the immediate region.

When she got to the top, she attached herself to the tree and took out a flute. She played a mesmerizing harmony to draw any potential predators away from the orange glow coming from the thicket of trees, and also to pass the time.

Meanwhile, Simon knelt beside the girl who still faced away from him.

"Are you okay?" Simon asked her.

She didn't reply, and so Simon decided to leave her alone for a while.

The storm raged on for many minutes before settling down to a drizzle. It persisted long afterwards.

Simon tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. So, he decided he'd go back to his old camp and move everything here.

He went back and forth between his original campsite and the trees, bringing back his possessions and setting up camp again.

Simon was drenched when he came back with his knapsack. He took out a raincoat, put it on, and walked back out to get everything else.

Flame Princess would watch him when he wasn't looking with a deep curiosity.

"Are you really him?" She asked him suddenly, once he'd finished moving his stuff and pitching his tent.

Simon jumped. He turned to find the princess glancing at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're the Ice King, right?" She inquired, "I was there when you came back. Well, when the _you_ you- the real you- came back, if you know what I mean."

Simon lowered his head and his eyes became heavy. He recalled the events that took place, and the pain that came with them.

"If I did anything to hurt you, I'm so sorry," he said meekly.

"Oh, I didn't mean-" she stuttered, "it's just… It's really hard to imagine that you used to be the Ice King. You're both so… different. I don't mean that as an insult. In fact, you're nothing like him."

Simon sat down beside the girl.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Better," she answered, waving her arms in front of her and allowing the flames to grow from them, "I'm not quite back to my full strength, but I will be soon thanks to you and Huntress Wizard."

The two of them listened briefly to the sound of Huntress Wizard's flute playing in the background.

"She's really good," Flame Princess remarked.

"Do you play an instrument?" Simon asked her.

"I used to be into Free Style raping for a while," she replied, "but no, I never played an instrument."

"You said you _used_ to be into rapping, why did you stop?" He asked her, "don't you still like it?"

"Of course I do," she exclaimed, "it's just… as a ruler, I have a lot of responsibilities, you know? And I got really busy. Ultimately, I had to give up some of my hobbies in order to be more effective."

"This is the most peaceful period in Ooo's history," he said skeptically, "what do you have to be busy about?"

"It's- I… It's complicated," Flame Princess tried to find an excuse, but she knew there was nothing she could say to respond. The root of it was deeper than even she had realized.

Simon decided not to press her on the issue.

"Where are you headed for exactly?" He asked her.

"The Human Kingdom," she replied, "I'm looking for someone… an old friend. What about you?"

"Wizard City," he replied, "I'm building a contraption and there's something I want to acquire for my research."

"You're a scientist," she remarked.

"An antiquarian, more specifically," he mused, "I thought that was obvious to everyone."

"Well, you certainly aren't dressed like a scientist," she replied, "no labcoat, no goggles…"

"I suppose that's true," he agreed, "although that's a stereotype of most scientists. My science is based on antiquities, historical artifacts, magical devices, and such. I study them and find a way to use them in a scientific way."

"Interesting," she commented, "so why exactly are you building this… contraption of yours?"

"I lost someone I cared about," he replied, "and I'm going to find a way to bring her back."

"You mean Betty?" She asked.

"Yeah," he replied glumly, "how did you know?"

"I was there when... well," Flame Princess didn't finish the sentence.

"Oh, yes, you were there," Simon reached into his shirt pocket and took out the photo of Betty. He held it out for the fire elemental to see, keeping his distance for fear of burning it up.

She giggled.

"She looks nice," she told him, "and she was a scientist too?"

"She was," he nodded, "she was so smart; in fact, she was smarter than I. More that that, she was compassionate and she never gave up. It didn't matter how hard something was, she always fought against any challenge that came her way. It's why I fell in love with her in the first place."

"So how will your contraption save her exactly?" She asked him, trying to move away from the depressing topic. Not for her sake, but for Simon's.

Simon put the photo of Betty away and took out blueprints and a picture of the device from his backpack off to the side. The backpack was drying off by the fire, having been drenched in the rain.

He laid both the blueprints and picture down in front of her.

"I've been assembling this device for the past three years," he told her, "it has the capacity to harness magical energy and open portals to other dimensions. The one I am particularly interested in is the dimension of chaos."

"The dimension of chaos?" She quirked.

"It's not a very creative name I know," he admitted.

"You came up with the name?" She mused.

"Its given name is unknown, probably lost with time," he excused, "so I just came up with whatever worked. I didn't think I'd be sharing it with anyone, so I never thought too hard about it."

Flame Princess analyzed the device in the photo further, and read through the confusing measurements in the blueprints.

"How does it work, though?" She asked him.

"That would take a very long to explain," he told her, "and unless you understand quantum mechanics, quantum chemistry, and string theory, it'd probably just confuse you. Let's just leave it at, it can open the portal to Golb's dimension, and I plan on using it to bring Betty back."

Simon put the papers away.

"But if you can bring Betty back, why haven't you done so yet?" She asked him.

"Because the machine is incomplete," he replied, taking out another sheet of paper from his backpack and held it out for her to see.

All was printed on the paper was a large photo of a beaker filled with a black fluid and scribbles on the side. There was nothing written on the paper to identify it besides some confusing numbers, something about an elemental chart.

"What is that thing in the photo exactly?" She asked.

"That is pure anti-magic," he replied, "it's an extremely volatile reagent, especially to wizards, but it's the missing ingredient to my device."

"I've never heard of it," she admitted, he put the picture away and laid the backpack down beside the fire to dry off some more.

"I'd be surprised if you do," he replied, "most people haven't, even most wizards don't know of its existence."

Flame Princess didn't know what else to say regarding the topic of reagents, machines, anti-magic, and things she didn't truly understand, so she chose to ask him another question.

"So, why were you traveling with Huntress Wizard?" Flame Princess asked, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Oh, we weren't actually traveling together," he chuckled, "in fact, we only just met after we found you."

"Really?" She said, "that's quite a coincidence."

Simon shrugged.

An awkward silence ensued.

The two of them decided to sit back and listen to the lovely sound of the flute playing in the background. Minutes later, the rain finally stopped pouring.

Flame Princess noticed it first and stood up. The refuse of the woodpile that covered her had been burned completely and the remains crumbled to the floor.

The fiery princess walked to the brush of the trees and peered out into the darkness. Drops of water poured off the edge of the trees and branches. She kept her distance.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"The rain stopped," Flame Princess replied.

Simon got up and join her at the edge.

"Would you look at that?" Simon observed.

Flame Princess turned to face her new friend.

"Simon, thank you for everything," she told him, "I don't know how I could ever repay you?"

"There's no need for that my dear," he told her, "it was my pleasure."

Flame Princess held her left arm, struggling to say this next part.

"I should probably be heading out now," she said, "Good luck building on your contraption, Simon. I really hope you get Betty back, and let Huntress Wizard know I said thanks too."

"Wait. You're not leaving on your own, are you?" Simon asked.

"Well, that was kind of my plan," she said, "it's not like we're going to the same place."

Simon picked up his backpack and swung it over his shoulders.

"I think it'd be safer if we traveled as a group," he suggested, "I would be happy to accompany you to the Human Kingdom, if you don't mind."

"Isn't Wizard City further north?" Flame Princess put in, "and don't you have to pack the rest of your stuff before you leave?"

Simon looked around, and grumbled when he realized he'd have to pack up again.

"It shouldn't take too long to get everything together," he replied, "besides, my destination is not too far from yours. And I've enjoyed your company. Traveling together won't be as dull."

"Aren't you tired?" She asked him, "it's past midnight."

"I've been staying up past midnight for years now," he replied, smiling, "working on my contraption."

Flame Princess smiled.

"Company sounds good," she agreed, "but what about Huntress Wizard?"

"I'll come," she replied from directly behind them.

Simon and Flame Princess both jumped and shrieked at the same time. Only now did they notice the absence of the flute's sound. Neither of them heard her come back, much less come up right behind them.

Huntress Wizard truly was a master of stealth and infiltration.

"Don't sneak up on us like that!" Flame Princess flared.

"I can't help it," she said, "I'm a huntress. It's kind of an instinct to sneak up on unsuspecting prey."

"But we are not prey," Simon rebutted.

"Not yet," she replied slyly, "but anything can happen in the wilderness."

Simon took his map and compass from his backpack and placed in on a stump from one of the trees Huntress Wizard cut down. His two female companions surrounded him on either side.

"Here's the human kingdom," he pointed out, "the path to Wizard City is directly above it, and the path to the kingdom is-"

"Actually, I know a quicker way," Huntress Wizard interrupted, "it also happens to be the safest."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Simon said gleefully.

He put away the map and compass, threw his backpack over his shoulders, and tugged on the shoulders straps.

"How long will it take to make it to the human kingdom?" Flame Princess asked.

"We should be there by noon tomorrow," she replied, "By my estimation, it should save us a couple hours of hiking."

"I say we try it," Flame Princess said.

"Agreed," Simon nodded. He moved to the edge of the trees and held out an open palm to the sky.

"It seems safe to go outside now, Flame Princess," Simon told her, "we should head out soon. I don't want to get caught in another storm."

"I'll lead the way," Huntress Wizard insisted, "there's a clearing in the woods that's a more suitable location for a campsite. We should stop there for the rest of the night."

With that, the trio headed northeast into the forest. Huntress Wizard led the way, followed closely by Flame Princess, and Simon followed in the back.

* * *

Axel returned to the throne room hours later after preparing for a voyage to the outside world. Flint had their best shamans patch him up, and now that his wounds were on the mend, he was ready to begin his secret mission.

The crowd of nobles and advisors murmured when he entered. Some of them trembled in his mere presence. More than that, however, they were all astonished, especially Flame King, when the wizard returned with both of his hands.

"You're arm," Flame King commented, almost unable to speak, "How did-"

He raised his new hand and wiggled his fingertips in the air, smiling. Each of them sparked with electrical energy.

"Magic," he replied, using some level of sarcasm, "I'm a wizard, remember."

The answer did not satisfy the ruler.

"I've never known any wizard with the power to reconstitute limbs," he replied, "Why couldn't you do that before?"

"Magic is powerful, but it has its limitations," Axel replied, "it requires time and extraordinary amounts of energy to manifest itself properly, especially when repairing a lost limb. It's also rather… unpleasant, and that is putting it lightly."

"Fascinating," Flame King remarked, "with Don John's essence, I wonder what potential my own magic possesses."

"When the war begins, I'm sure you will have plenty of opportunities to discover that for yourself, my king," he remarked, smiling.

"While I do enjoy plotting in my spare time, I do not recall sending for you," Flame King remarked, "What do you need, Axel?"

"If you would be so kind, I request that I be allowed to exit the borders of the Fire Kingdom," he replied.

Flame King shot him a suspicious glance.

"I didn't know you had other business in Ooo," he quirked.

"I don't," he replied, "I would like to go out so that I might find Flame Princess myself. Maybe your guards missed something."

"I've shut down the border," Flame King told him, "there's a storm raging outside and I don't want anyone going out.

"I can weather the storm," Axel replied, using the same level of sarcasm from earlier, "I'm a human too, remember. And besides, I found her the first time, didn't I? I can find her again."

Flame King thought for a moment.

"What are you really after, Axel?" he asked him, "is this about revenge?"

"Revenge? For what?" He chuckled, raising his hand once more, "I have no reason to seek vengeance on your daughter. My hand has been restored. Besides, your patrols are no match for her. I am."

This brought a smile to the ruler's face.

"I will grant your request," he concurred, "under one condition."

"And what is that?"

"If you find my daughter, you must bring her back alive," he commanded.

"I will do as you command, my king," Axel replied, giving a low bow. On the inside, he loathed the condition, but, ultimately, he knew it wouldn't matter. He was after another prize.

* * *

Huntress Wizard led the trio into the woods down a winding pathway. The noises of animals, and an occasional snapping of a trig kept everyone on their toes, especially Simon.

"You don't think something, like maybe a bear, might try to ambush us, do you?" He asked the group as they walked.

"No," Huntress Wizard replied, "Bears are hibernating at this time of year, but if one did, I'd kill it."

"Is there some place you're going too, Huntress Wizard?" Flame Princess asked her. She had been thinking about that question for a while now.

"Not really," she replied, "I'm kind of a free spirit. I go wherever the wind takes me."

She thought for a moment, and realized there was a legitimate reason she was going.

"Actually, there is someone that lives in the Human Kingdom," she continued, "someone I haven't seen in a while and would like to see again."

"You mean like a boyfriend?" Flame Princess asked, raising her eyebrows twice as she said the word _boyfriend_.

"Something like that, yes," she replied, "although I wouldn't say we're dating or anything like that. It's more like admiring from afar."

"And who might that admirer be?" FP inquired.

"Finn," she replied.

Flame Princess' smiled disappeared.

"Wait, you're dating Finn, _the_ Finn? Finn, the Hero of Ooo?" Flame Princess asked in disbelief.

"The one and only," she replied.

"Since when- I mean, how long has it been?" She asked.

"It's been about three and half years," she replied.

"That long," she felt dazed, "I can't believe I never knew."

"That's not that surprising," Huntress Wizard put in, "we've kept our relationship on the down low."

The trio came to a clearing in the woods. Huntress Wizard stopped in her tracks, and turned to the others.

"Here it is," she told them, "we should camp here for the night."

Simon began pitching his tent while Huntress Wizard parkoured her way into the trees, stopping on a high branch and turning back to her companions.

"I'm going to watch out for intruders," she told them, "you should both get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."

"What about you?" Simon asked her, "don't you need to sleep too?"

"I'll be fine," she said, "but I appreciate the concern."

Huntress Wizard disappeared in the darkness, leaving Simon and Flame Princess alone together again.

Simon finished setting up camp while Flame Princess looked around, finding nothing to do, but wanting to help in someway.

"Do you need help setting anything up?" She asked.

"You can start the fire, if you'd like," Simon replied.

Simon took the remaining wood he kept from the lake and built a little tepee in the center of the clearing. When he was done, Flame Princess used her powers to light the fire.

The two didn't go to bed immediately. Instead, they huddled around the fire and talked some more.

"Is something the matter?" Simon asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem lost in thought," he replied, "ever since we found you, you appear to be… distant, feint almost. I hope I'm not intruding."

"A lot has happened," she replied honestly, "and if it's alright with you, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Will you ever talk about?" He asked, "if you're holding onto something inside; something painful, you'll have to let it out eventually."

"Maybe some day," she replied, "but not today."

"Alright," he conceded, standing up, "I'm going to head off to bed. You should to."

Simon left the princess to her own thoughts. Flame Princess wanted to stay up longer, but she felt herself drifting away. It wasn't long afterwards that she fell asleep.

Huntress Wizard watched them from the trees, as if stalking her prey on the hunt. She had listened the conversation the two had, and grew sullen, particularly intrigued by Flame Princess.

She maintained a watchful eye throughout the night, an unfaltering sentinel in the dark. She took out her flute once more, and silently played a song of grief for her fiery companion.

* * *

Axel departed for the grasslands at midnight, heading north towards Mountain Kingdom to begin the next step. It stormed for a while, but eventually the rain died down.

In order to reach his destination, he passed through Lake Szelezon where he discovered Simon's abandoned campground.

The wizard analyzed the remains of his fire that had been snuffed out by the rainwater, and felt through the coals.

"Still warm," Axel whispered to himself. He looked up and analyzed his surroundings further, "that could mean many things though."

He used his spell to detect the footprints in the Earth and found a pair leading outside of the camp. He followed them to the isolated patch of trees Huntress Wizard grew for shelter.

He walked in, but nobody was there, and all that remained was a pile of ashes and burned wood. He examined the soil closely, and discovered burn marks in the grass that resembled more footprints.

 _Interesting_ , Axel thought to himself.

Using his fingertips, he brushed at the scorched prints and rubbed them between two fingers. The wizard smiled.

"Just my luck," he said aloud, "so this is where you came?"

He looked out in the directions the prints headed. He was tempted to go after them, but he had not come out here to find her.

"Run far, little girl," he spoke, "before I catch up to you."

Axel turned away from the direction of the prints.

"I'll give you a head star."

He traveled a little east of the Mountain ranges towards the Apple Orchard and Tree Trunk's cottage: his destination.

When he got there, the sun was about ready to rise. Axel knew he had to hurry.

He became like a shadow, and floated all around the house, looking through the windows. Tree Trunks, her husband, and Sweet P were all sound asleep.

He came to the front door, allowed his hand to solidify, and tried to turn the handle. It was locked. So, he used a spell to unlock the door automatically, and he entered, using his shadowy presence to move through the air without a sound, through the kitchen, passed Tree Trunk's bedroom, and finally, he entered Sweet P's room.

He presided over the peacefully sleeping boy with a wicked grin, and whispered slowly into his ears.

"Awaken."

Sweet P's eyes shot open, and a green tint clouded his blackened pupils.

 _ **A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait everybody, but this chapter was a lot trickier to write than I had anticipated. As you've probably noticed, there are three different arcs happening at the same time, two of which come together, and one of which will collide in the next. I was juggling these plot points on top of reintroducing the characters of old, trying to incorporate more banter into the story, attempting to apply less exposition and allow the reader to use more of his/her imagination (based on valuable criticism from Deathclaw2010), and going back and rewatching certain episodes of the original show to make sure I do the original characters justice.**_

 _ **The next few chapters, this one included, will require a lot of serious thought to put together. This is largely because I'm going to be reintroducing some of the original characters and set up for the future, but I'm trying to do it in a way that makes sense and pushes the story forward.**_

 _ **As a consequence, I'm going to need some time to write these chapters and make them as good as I possibly can (this is also because I am in college and require time to study and do work), just as I did with this chapter. I hope that you all understand, but I made sure that this chapter was lengthy like the last one.**_

 _ **Feel free to follow, favorite, and/or leave a review. Tell me what you think about the way the original characters are written. Did I do them justice? Do the younger characters feel like more mature versions of themselves? Do you have any ideas you think would be cool to introduce into the story? I'm open to any and all suggestions.**_

 _ **I've just finished updating Chapter 3, so I will now start writing chapter 5.**_

 _ **I'm really glad a lot of people seem to be enjoying my story, I got quite a few reviews from the last chapter, so I'm going to respond to them now. Thanks a lot for the support guys!**_

 _ **\- Distant Phoenix: "Thank you for the kind words, and I do take OC requests. Keep in mind that I have a story in mind. I know where I want to go, how it's going to end, and all the characters I use serve a purpose in progressing the story in some way. I would really love to hear your OC idea though! You can do so in a review or you can ping me via PM (to protect your idea). Just let me know**_ **:) _"_**

 _ **\- Guest: "Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!**_ **:) _"_**

 _ **\- AlecDoUrden: "He sure is."**_

 _ **\- KRUSA1: "I haven't been able to find the video yet, but I am still looking. Thank you for the reply!"**_

 _ **\- GarrusVakariann: "I'm glad you liked it! I personally feel like I made a few errors with the chapter, not with the story or characters, but in the way I initially wrote it (I added a bit too much exposition when it wasn't needed). I plan on going back and polishing it up pretty soon though. Regardless, I greatly appreciate the comment!"**_

 _ **\- Guest: "Thank you for the compliments! I try to flesh out the characters as much as possible, and I'm glad I can do that well."**_

 _ **\- Guest: "Thanks!"**_

 _ **\- Virxas: "I'm glad you really enjoyed chapter 3. It was certainly a big one. Some serious stuff went down, and I'm glad it left an impact."**_

 _ **\- Deathclaw2010: "I've gone back and reread my chapters, and I completely understand and agree with what you said. I've since gone back and polished the first two chapters, taken out unnecessary exposition, and making certain things clearer. I will begin to polish up chapter 3 now that Chapter 4 is out. I greatly appreciate and value your critiques, and I'm really glad you've enjoyed Axel's character. Also, for anyone else reading this, NEVER be afraid to criticize, even if it is done in a malevolent way, because criticism leads to positive change. This is something that I believe is undervalued. We have become so afraid to offend and criticize that we have become stagnant as a culture, and have started to devolve as a result. Again, Deathclaw, thank you for the review, the criticism, and god bless you sir."**_

 _ **\- Guest: "Another guest, eh? I'm happy you are enjoying it. In terms of the tone (for which you complimented. Thanks!), the reason why I made it more serious is because I've always felt that the original series was at its best when it took its themes (not necessarily itself) seriously. The best adventure times episodes were the serious ones: I Remember You, Simon and Marcy, Elements, Stakes, Burning Low, etc. I want to try to emphasize that in this story by exploring some of the really deeper aspects of the series in my story. I hope that is becoming more apparent to you all as the story progresses, and I hope I can build upon that in a meaningful way."**_

 _ **\- xGBL13x: "That's understandable, although there is a very good reason as to why he decided to let her live. It will not be revealed now, but it will be revealed later on. All I will say is that Axel is compelled by something pertaining to Flame Princess' nature, something that might change his aspects of his point of view."**_

 _ **\- OMAC001: "I wonder, what brought you to that conclusion?"**_

 _ **\- Dragonstorm0: "Finn's not in the story quite yet, but he will be in the next one. I'm really glad your enjoying the story, and I'm gonna do my best to incorporate as much banter as possible. I did so in this chapter, and I hope you can appreciate that. I'm always up for long reviews by the way. Glad you like it!**_ **:) _"_**

 _ **\- Doc Fossil: "Nah, I'm more into glocks, mossberg pumps, m82 barretts, and the like. Although, I do love a good ol' colt M1911 or M4."**_

 _ **\- Guest: "My only regret is that I couldn't get it out sooner. I'm glad you like the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter!"**_

 _ **\- Deathclaw2010: "They bleed lava (not blood), and while they don't have bones (human bones), fire elementals are humanoid creatures and (like the elemental matrix being the equivalent of a human heart) have other bodily parts that function in the same way as humans. I first noticed this in the episode The Cooler (Adventure Time Season 6 Episode 22), when one of the fire elementals was starving and his ribcage was showing through his skin. It's one of my least favorite episodes, actually, but that was something that I noticed and thought was interesting."**_

 _ **\- Anonymous: "I'm so glad you like the characters! You aren't the only one to give me that compliment. Thanks!**_ **:) _"_**

 _ **\- Guest: "I'm humbled by your words, and I am really glad that you're enjoying the story so much! Thanks! I really want this story to be as good as it can be, as great as it can be , and I'm really glad I can do that for you! I completely agree with your criticism on exposition (you aren't the first to suggest that), and am trying to cut back on unnecessary exposition more in the future, while also incorporating more banter. Thank you for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_ **:) _"_**


	5. Chapter 5: The Human Kingdom

**Chapter Five**

 **The Human Kingdom**

The sun rose in the east and scorched the sky in a brilliant orange light. The birds began to sing their morning songs, and the dew was ripe upon the grassy fields of Ooo.

The streets of the various kingdoms grew busy with the activity of people, none more so than that of the recently formed Human Kingdom.

A man wrapped in a dark gray cloak looked out from the distant hills at the massive titanium wall that surrounded the great city to the east.

This human kingdom was only three years old, and it had already become an architectural marvel. Buildings, some many stories tall, towered high above the wall. They took many shapes and forms, the exterior of some buildings were completely translucent while others were constructed from various different materials.

The marvelous aspect was that not a single building in the entire kingdom looked the same, none more so that the Capital Building; a massive dome-shaped structure that stood in the center of the kingdom high above even the tallest buildings.

The man closed his eyes, and when he opened them, in his eyes, the world became blue. Various waves of energy echoed from within the city producing a web-like structure through the air. This energy was drawing him in.

He waited, observed, and thought deeply about his choice until he was certain it was the one he wanted to make. Finally, he began his descent towards the western gate.

Traders and tourists from all over Ooo were already lining up to get inside the kingdom to marvel at their new neighbors.

In the short time they've existed in Ooo, the humans became living relics, a rarity made into a commodity that Minerva, the city's unofficial leader, had taken advantage of.

Everybody and their mother wanted to see the humans; everybody and their mother wanted to trade with the humans, and as a result, the human economy was booming!

The line, long as it was, moved quickly, and before the man knew it, he was at the front of the line.

Two Minerva guards, clothed in their typical white scrubs and hats that identified them as "helpers," greeted him at the gate.

"Welcome to the Human Kingdom, traveler," one of them said in Minerva's cute Irish voice, "I detect that you are in fact a human, but I cannot identify you in the official roster. You're not from the kingdom, are you?"

"No, I'm not, " he answered with a very pronounced and assertive voice, like that of a sage, "I'm a trader looking to do business. I was hoping that, with your permission, I might be able to make a contribution to the market."

The man brought with him no carriage or caravan or luggage of any kind, so this confused the Minerva guards.

"What are you selling exactly?" She asked him.

He pulled out a vial filled with a glowing blue liquid from inside his cloak and held it out as a sample for them to see. The vial pulsated with energy and mesmerized the guards.

"Potions," he replied, "and possibly other magical regents should this venture turn out to be a profitable one."

"Magic?" the other Minerva bot chimed excitedly, "we haven't had a merchant offer magic before."

"Don't you have any magic of your own?" He asked, a little confused.

"Unfortunately, no," she replied to his complete surprise, "which is why we're very glad you're here."

The Minerva guards hastily moved over to the side to let him through.

"The human kingdom appreciates any contribution you can make to the market," they recited in unison, "please, do enjoy your visit."

He moved through the gate and entered the market.

The streets buzzed loudly, swarmed with crowds of people from all sorts of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Everywhere he turned he saw humans, elves, gnomes, candy people, rock people, goblins, trolls, fire elementals, water elementals, and so much more. It was a rather spectacular sight.

Human children chased goblin children all around the streets. Others played hide and seek. Some were laughing, others were whispering to each other. The parents of the children searched frantically about through the crowds when a child was lost.

One human boy accidentally ran off from his mother and bumped into him. He quickly caught the child by his collar before he could run off.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" He asked the child.

As soon as he asked the question, they both heard the mother calling his name from the crowd.

"Stanley?" She cried, "Stanley, get back here right now!"

He looked down at the boy.

"Stanley," the boy looked up at the man, "is that your name?"

The boy nodded, and the man raised his head towards the mother.

"He's over here!" He called to her through the crowd, "Stanley's right here!"

When she heard him, she spotted him quickly and maneuvered her way through the crowd to him.

"Oh thank god," she said frantically, grabbing her son in her arms. She scolded the boy, "don't you ever run off like that again, or you're grounded for the next two weeks!"

"Yes, mama," the boy said glumly, lowering his head.

The woman looked to the man who had found the child.

"Thank you so much, sir," she told him gratefully, "you saved me so much trouble."

"He runs away often, does he?" The man asked.

"You don't know the half of it," she chuckled, "I've never seen you before."

"That's probably because I'm not from here," he shrugged playfully, "perhaps, in return for catching your son, you can help me."

"Absolutely," she replied energetically, "anything."

"I'm looking for someone, a friend of mine," he told her, "we lost each other a little while back, and I'm afraid I don't know where he is anymore. He's supposed to have come through here, and I suspect he's still here. His name is Axel. Perhaps you know of him?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't," she told him, feeling badly, "but Minerva has a roster of all the humans living in the kingdom, perhaps you could-"

"I already asked her," he lied, not wanting to bring Axel into view of the local authorities, "I don't think he'd be in the market. Is there someone else in the city where I might be able to go?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "lots of places."

She pointed to the other side of the street towards an alley in the distance.

"If you can get through the crowds, take that alley and it will lead you further into the city," she told him.

"Great!" He exclaimed, "where does it lead exactly?"

"To the inner sanctum," she replied, "you can access the other districts of the kingdom from there. It's likely whoever you're looking for is in the housing district. That's on the far eastern end of the city."

"Thank you so much," he told her gratefully.

"It was my pleasure," she replied, smiling, "and good luck. I hope you find who you're looking for."

The woman took her child by the hand and headed further into the market while the man went off in the opposite direction.

He struggled to navigate his way through the sea of people, but once he made it to the other side of the street, he was able to continue down the empty alleyway that led out of the market.

Guided by nothing but the voices crawling within his skull, he continued towards the city's inner sanctum in search of the person he lost long ago.

* * *

Finn Mertens awoke from his slumber, later than usual. He slothfully got out of bed and walked to his bedroom window to gaze out into the streets from his new home in order to adjust his eyes. He wore nothing but blue shorts.

Minerva had been monitoring Finn's every move since he got home late last night, and she knew immediately that he was awake.

"Finn, you're up," Minerva chimed excitedly through the bedroom intercom.

"Yeah, I'm up," Finn replied, rubbing his aching head, "what time is it?"

A holographic projection of his mother appeared and solidified by the bedroom door, holding a freshly folded pair of his clothes in both hands. She walked up to the young man and stopped beside his bed.

"It's ten forty-two, darling," she answered.

"That late, huh?"

"Well, you came home pretty late last night," she commented, "What were you doing last night?"

"Hanging out with some friends," he replied, "I lost track of time."

She smiled.

"Looks like," she agreed.

Minerva set the clothes on his bed, and walked up to her son, putting a hand to his cheek and staring into her son's dreary eyes. Finn seemed distant and quieter than usual.

"Is something the matter, dear?" She asked gently, putting her hand to his forehead, "you're not sick, are you?"

"No, not at all," Finn replied, pulling her hand away from him, "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem distracted," she replied, "more so than usual."

"What do you mean?" He queried, acting as though he too didn't notice the change.

"I don't see you very often, for one," she explained, listing them off one by one, "in fact, some days I never see you at all. You don't speak. You rarely eat in the morning. You hardly smile. You…"

"Okay, I get it," he said, not wanting to be remind of the things he was aware of, "I'm just thinking is all."

"Really?" She mused, "about what?"

"Oh, you know, just…" Finn thought for a moment, failing to find the right word, "stuff."

Minerva smiled. Knowing he didn't want to be pressed on his inner thoughts and feelings, she chose to leave it be.

"Well then, when you're done thinking about _stuff_ , you should come downstairs for breakfast," She suggested, "I made blueberry waffles. I think you'll like this batch."

"Thanks mom," he told her, "Let me get dressed and I'll be down in a sec, kay?"

"I'll leave you in private then," she replied.

The hologram vanished and the cameras and sensors deactivated all throughout the room.

Finn took a quick shower first, and after drying up, he put on the fresh pair of clothes Minerva left for him on his bed: white underwear, a blue shirt, and a fresh pair of blue shorts.

Before he headed out the door, Finn took a moment to observe his reflection through his bathroom mirror.

He was twenty years old now, and with age, he had matured and learned a lot, especially after the Gum War.

He found that he didn't look so different on the outside; even his voice sounded the same, but on the inside, something was changing. He was not the same goofy kid he used to be, and he carried a great weight on his shoulders that grounded him, as all great heroes seem to possess.

The only really noticeable difference was his hairstyle. His blonde hair remained the same color and shade, but his hair was wavier, shorter, and, he felt, more appropriate, as it made him appear more grown up and distinguished. That made him feel good.

Finn drew a deep breath before walking out his bedroom door and down the stairs into the dining room where another solidified hologram of Minerva waited for him.

She was already sitting down at the left side of a small round kitchen table, smiling as he came down the stairs.

At the opposite end of the table sat a plate filled with a fat stack of buttery, syrupy blueberry waffles. The pleasant smell of the scrumptious meal filled the air. He dug in as soon as he sat down.

"You're really hungry," she giggled as Finn devoured the plate of food, "did you forget to eat last night?"

"No, Wildberry Princess had a banquet," Finn replied with a mouth full of food, "I ate enough."

"Finn, never speak with a mouth full of food," she nagged, pointing a finger at him, "swallow."

Finn swallowed.

"Good," she said, "now eat slower. It's not healthy for your digestion when you eat so fast."

Finn chuckled at that.

 _I'm eating waffles and she's nagging at me about health_ , he thought to himself.

He continued to eat and, on instinct, brushed his hair to the side, revealing a large bruise on the side of his forehead. Minerva got up from her chair and reached over the table. Finn stopped eating.

"Uh, mom?" Finn asked, a bit weirded out, "what are you doing?"

Minerva brushed against the discolored patch of skin with her hand and Finn recoiled.

"Ouch," he cried.

Minerva drew back and knowingly put her hands to her hips.

"Were you fighting last night?" She asked him, though already knowing the answer.

"No," Finn told her awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to come up with an explanation, "I just… bumped into a wall."

Minerva folded her arms.

"You are a terrible liar," she told him, shaking her head. She didn't seem angry, but she was certainly displeased.

"I know," Finn acknowledged, revealing the truth.

Minerva sat back down and planted her elbows on the table. She folded her hands in front of her and leaned forward. This was one of her serious thinking poses.

"Finn, I understand the life you chose is dangerous, and I respect your decision to live your life as you want to, but don't you ever think that maybe it's just a little too much?" She asked him honestly, and hoped for an honest answer in return.

"Mom, I've been through a lot worse," he eluded defensively, though it was true.

"I understand that," she replied, "I remember the bits you showed me of your past life when you visited the island, but that doesn't change the fact that your are still fighting… in an era of peace. What do you possibly have to fight about?"

"You worry too much," Finn dismissed.

"I worry because I care about you," she rebutted almost immediately, "I am your mother after all. It's my job to make sure you are healthy and safe."

Finn didn't respond.

"Just tell me what happened," she pleaded, "I won't interrupt and I will only respond once you're done."

Finn sighed deeply.

"BMO and I were hanging out with Wildberry Princess yesterday when she invited us to the banquet," he began.

"Yeah, you told me that already," she interrupted, "go on."

"You said you wouldn't interrupt," Finn reminded her, agitated.

"You're right, sorry," she leaned back in her chair.

Her eyes went through her head for a few seconds, then came back out. The hologram flaked, and suddenly, all was normal.

"It won't happen again, I promise," she insisted, "I've reprogrammed my cognitive structure to remain silent until the end."

Finn waited a long while before continuing to speak.

"Anyways, BMO and I showed up a little late," he continued, "On the way, these two goblin dudes just showed up out of nowhere. I don't know where they came from, but they weren't invited and they weren't from the Wildberry Kingdom either. I offered to kick them out, but Wildberry Princess didn't want to start a scene, so she let them stay. They began trashing the banquet hall anyways. They made fun of her and called her names, so I tried to intervene with words. She still didn't want me to start a fight, so I was really holding back. I got into a pretty big argument with them. One thing led to another and, well, they brought up Fern. They said he was evil and that he deserved what he got because he was with Uncle Gumbald, I guess I kind of… snapped."

Neither Minerva nor any of the other humans were present during the Gum War, but she knew very well that the people of Ooo did not remember Fern very fondly.

The long silence that came afterwards told Minerva that he was finished.

"So you initiated force," she concluded abruptly, but not dismissively.

Finn felt like she had ignored everything he said and grossly oversimplified his entire story.

"What was I supposed to do? My friend died in front of me because of something I did!" He cried in outrage, standing out of his chair, "Were you even listening? I mean, what would you have done if someone made fun of a friend you knew who died to save the world?"

Minerva remained completely cool under the heat.

"Personally, I would have let it go," she replied calmly, "people like that aren't worth the time and energy you give them. Just because someone says something mean doesn't give you the right to attack them with violence."

Finn sat back in his chair, frustrated.

Minerva stood up and walked over to her son, holding a hand to his cheek.

"Finn, I know that your friend mean a lot to you, but you've been holding on to this for so long," she said sweetly, "if you're frustrated; If you're holding onto something, you don't have to keep it to yourself. Please, let me in. You can talk to me and I'll always listen to you."

Finn rolled his eyes, feeling the opposite was true.

"You don't know what its like to lose a best friend, mom," he spat, "you don't know what it's like to see someone you care about die in front of you."

Minerva was quiet for a while, wide eyed and mouth open. She did not rebuke him or yell at him. Instead, she took pity on him and spoke from a place of compassion.

"When I was still human, before I became this… thing," she began, not really knowing what to call herself, "I watched as a disease ravaged the human population while I was helpless to stop it. I watched as all my friends and my colleagues died around me, until I was the only helper left. I bared witness to death on a catastrophic scale, and that tore me to pieces. The man I loved abandoned me and he took you with him. For the longest time, I believed you were dead, and when I realized you were alive, I just… you can't imagine the joy I felt when I found you alive, Finn!"

Minerva paused to let that sink into his mind. She would have cried if not for the fact that she was a hologram.

Finn stared back at her, plagued with guilt. He refused to show it through his body, but his eyes, even as he stared at her in anger, showed too much.

"I do understand, Finn," she continued, "I understand more than you could possibly know, but I also want you to make the right decisions for yourself."

Minerva left it at that. She headed out of the kitchen into the entry hallway, where she slowly faded into nothingness. Her presence left the entire house as well; various clicks and beeps signaled the deactivation of various monitors and sensors, leaving Finn all alone, ravaged with guilt.

He stared down at the food. He had only eaten half of it, and what had tasted so delicious to him mere seconds ago now left a sour taste in his mouth.

After a few more moments of self-reflection, Finn headed back up the stairs. He didn't bother to finish his meal.

When he returned to his bedroom, he found his green backpack toppled over on the floor with his stuff pouring out of it. He stuffed everything back inside, zipped it up, and grabbed a bouquet of flowers he had picked the afternoon before with the help of Wildberry Princess and BMO.

Finn his Night Sword that was leaning against a chair near his desk, and finally he grabbed his hat that was hanging from his closet door and descended back down the stairs.

Usually, whenever he was headed out for an adventure, his mother would meet him at the door. Today, she wasn't there.

 _I'll see you when you get back_ , she would tell him, giving him a light kiss on the cheek afterwards.

Her stared the front door down, feeling empty; holding his backpack and hat in one hand and sword and flowers in the other. He swung his pack over his shoulders and sheathed the weapon on his back.

He looked down at his hat and drew a deep breath. Then, he put it over his head and, finally, he walked through the front door.

Solemnly, he walked down the street. Before he turned right down at the three-way intersection at the end of the street, he looked back to his home one last time, thinking of his mother.

Finn pushed the thoughts away as best he could and marched on, taking a detour through an alleyway that led to the inner sanctum, but in his haste, he bumped into someone, a man wearing a dark-gray cloak, which caused him to drop his flowers.

"I am so sorry!" Finn quickly apologized, wishing he had said that to his mother.

Finn crouched to pick up the flowers and closed his eyes, expecting some kind of stinging rebuke. The man just stood there silently, observing him.

He showed no emotion and his shadowy expression made him difficult to read. The man's hood covered his eyes and concealed much of his upper face in darkness. All Finn could see was his mouth and his nose, and that he was human, a young adult human with a fair complexion.

This made an impression on Finn, and he instantly became intrigued by the figure standing in front of him.

"You should be careful, boy," he finally spoke, "you shouldn't talk to strangers."

"Geez, you sound like my mother," he muttered under his breath, "I'm twenty years old, dude. I'm not a boy."

The man smirked at him. This was the first time he revealed any kind of emotion.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Finn," he replied, "Finn Mertens. What about you?"

"My name is Michael," he answered.

"Well, we're not strangers anymore, so…" Finn shrugged, causing Michael to chuckle a little bit. Finn took a closer look at the figure, "you aren't from Ooo or the islands, are you?"

"And what makes you say that?" He asked.

Finn looked him up and down.

"Well, you're human, for one, but you don't dress like any human I've ever seen," Finn commented, "and second, you don't know who I am."

"Should I have?" he asked.

"Well, most everybody does," Finn replied, not wanting to toot his own horn, "It's just strange is all."

Michael smiled.

"You're reasons served you well then. You're right, I'm not from here," he answered, "I'm from a land beyond the sea. It is no island, as is where your people came from."

"Does this land have a name?" Finn asked.

"Not one you would recognize," he replied.

Finn grumbled.

"I'd still like to know," he insisted.

"I'd rather not say," Michael replied curtly, "talking about it brings back, let's just say, unpleasant memories."

"Okay, I get it. Off limits," he thought of something else to ask, "why are you here, then?"

"I'm looking for someone," he replied, "I got word that the humans came to Ooo and I assumed he might have traveled with you from the islands."

"Oh, actually, I grew up here," Finn commented.

"Really?" Michael asked confused, "I was under the impression that the humans abandoned this place long ago."

"They did," he replied, "I was the only one left."

Michael was silent for a long while, lost in thought. It was as though some great revelation had suddenly struck him.

"Perhaps I can help you find whoever it is you're searching for," Finn offered.

"No," Michael replied, confident in his answer, "I don't need help."

"Maybe if you gave me a name-"

"No," Michael said much more sharply, "I appreciate the offer, but I can find him on my own. Thanks."

"Whatevs," Finn muttered under his breath, "I suppose I need to get going anyways."

Finn ran off in a hurry, but he remembered his manners and quickly turned around.

"It was nice to meet you, Michael," Finn said in the distancw, "and I hope you find whoever you're looking for."

Michael watched as Finn disappeared down the alley. When the boy was gone, he fell into his own thoughts.

"Was that-" Michael spoke to himself, confused, "no, that can't be right."

He thought for a long while, and carefully analyzed the echo that had left its mark in their encounter.

"No, it must be. I felt it," he muttered to himself in abject confusion, trying to piece everything together in his mind, "the energy, the vibration; it wasn't leading me to Axel. It led me to him. But why?"

With every answer came more questions.

Michael closed his eyes tightly, trying to concentrate all his focus towards weaving his way through the currents that flowed throughout the city.

Nothing else was drawing his attention inwards, and that meant Axel was not present at all; in fact, something was drawing him out and away, telling him to follow the boy. When opened his eyes, he focused his attention on the echo, and followed it right back from where he came.

Michael backtracked to the market, struggled his way through the crowded streets once again, and headed for the exit.

"Did you enjoy your stay at the Human Kingdom?" one of the two Minerva guards asked him at the gate.

"I did," he told them, "I would stay longer, but I have other matters to attend to."

"We understand," the other bot said, bowing her head, "we hope you come back soon. Magic is a commodity we are always willing to buy."

"I very much believe I will," he tilted his head to them politely, holding the tip of his hood with two fingers.

He passed the gate and followed the echo down the dirt road for a mile before it trailed off into the grassy fields. He moved off the path and continued west. After about thirty minutes of walking, he found Finn in the distance, kneeling beside a young willow tree and staring down at a gravestone.

Michael knew he was called to follow the boy, but the reason remained a mystery to him. Unsure of what to do now, he listened deeply to the vibration emanating from the hill, from the willow, and from Finn.

"What am I to do?" He prayed silently, "To go up and greet him? To call out to him from a distance? What? It all seemed so unclear."

Michael was not given an answer. Instead, he compelled to wait, for reasons he could not yet determine. This frustrated him.

Doubt filled his mind. Regardless, Michael didn't want to leave his mark on the boy until he understood what such an action would entail. So for now, he stayed a distance away, wanting to keep his presence unnoticed.

Michael used an aural amplification spell so that he might be able to here him speak and continued to observe the energy as it moved around him.

Finn whispered some sort of prayer to commemorate a dead companion, too quiet for Michael to hear, but he felt the sting of emotions the prayer brought with it. After a few seconds of silence, Finn opened his eyes.

"Hey Fern," he spoke, "I know it's been a while. I've been pretty busy lately, and I hope you can forgive me."

Finn put the flowers beside his tombstone.

"I hope you like the flowers," he said, trying to lighten the mood, "I picked them last night. Wildberry Princess helped, and so did BMO. I invited them to come along, but they had things to do."

As Finn spoke, Michael's own memories came to the forefront of his own mind, triggered by a shared past and various similar experiences.

He heard voices of people he knew, people he loved, and people he killed; they echoed through his mind and tormented him. He grabbed his head, trying desperately to push them away. When he heard the voice of a little girl, it nearly drove him to the edge of insanity, but when she spoke, all was suddenly silent.

Michael raised his eyes back to Finn, breathing heavily. The energy of the world seemed to transform entirely, but the echo he followed remained unchanged.

A yellow dog approached Finn from behind. The boy was unaware of his presence, but the dog didn't interrupt his mourning. Respectfully, he waited a long moment before choosing to speak.

"I thought I'd find you here," the dog said softly.

Finn squealed. He turned around, startled, as though caught in an act.

"Jake?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it's me," he walked up and sat beside the boy, "dude, I can't believe you're still coming back here. I mean, I know he meant a lot to you and everything, but this can't be healthy. What's eating you up, bro?"

Finn returned his attention to the tombstone.

"Fern is dead because of me," he told him, "I know I can't bring him back, but I owe it to him to visit every once in a while, at least; to honor his memory."

"Yeah, you told me this before, dude, but Fern's dead, man. Dead people can't hear you speak," Jake said, a little colder than he had intended.

Michael chuckled in the distance and shook his head.

"If only you knew, dog," he muttered underneath his breath, "if only you knew."

"And even if he could," Jake continued, "do you really think he'd want you to waste away like this? I sure don't. Fern would want you to live your life to the fullest."

"I don't know what else to do," Finn replied, feeling lost.

Jake stood back up off the ground and stretched his legs tall in the air. He offered a hand to Finn.

"You can live your life," he offered, "what better way could their be to honor the dead?"

Finn smiled.

"You always know just what to say," Finn remarked.

"Bleep blop bloop?" He joked.

That made Finn laugh.

"Yeah," he took the canine's hand and stood up from the ground, "bleep blop bloop."

Jake shrunk his legs back down to normal size.

"So, if you're not busy then, how about we go fool around in the candy kingdom?" the dog suggested, "remember when we used to do that?"

"I don't know," Finn replied, "don't you think I'm a little too old for that."

He blew a raspberry.

"I'm a grown-up dog, yo," he retorted, "and I fool around all the time!"

Jake wiggled his hands in the air, hopping on one leg at a time. That made Finn laugh.

"It's a bit of a long walk, don't you think?" Finn said.

"That'll give us more time to talk," he replied, "we need to get your mind off this junk. Talking helps."

"Alright then," Finn conceded, "let's do it. It's been a while since I've seen Princess Bubblegum. It'd be good to see what's she up to."

The two brothers headed off towards the Candy Kingdom, leaving the grave of Fern alone. Michael came up to the tombstone, and read the engraved inscription:

Fern Mertens

A Promise Fulfilled

To a Brother I Killed

"Fern, so that's your name," he looked up in the tree at the Finn Sword sticking out from the willow's top branch.

Magical energy swirled around it. He smiled.

"If only you knew," he repeated one last time.

The blue-gem in the center of the sword's hilt shimmered in the sunlight and beamed with energy in an abnormal way, suggesting sentience. Michael recognized the pattern, and knew that the sword was responding to the sound of Michael's voice.

* * *

Huntress Wizard awoke as soon as the birds began to sing. She detached herself from her perch, and fell from the tree onto the ground below. Flame Princess was sleeping quietly beside the smoldering fire while Simon was asleep inside his tent.

She unzipped Simon's tent and woke him first.

"Hey, sun's up," she spoke gently, "we should get going soon."

Simon shifted to the side drowsily. He shut his eyes tightly and rubbed them. He picked up his glasses placed beside his resting spot with his other hand and put them on, adjusting them as needed.

Huntress Wizard left him to wake Flame Princess. Simon exited the tent, yawned, and stretched.

Huntress Wizard crouched beside the fiery girl, keeping enough of a distance so as not to get burned, but before she could wake her, Simon intervened.

"You should give her a little more time to sleep," Simon suggested, "at least let her sleep until we're done packing. She's been through a lot."

Huntress Wizard nodded, secretly relieved.

While Simon packed his things, Huntress Wizard cleaned up the camp, and made sure that their tracks were covered. When they finished, Simon who chose to wake Flame Princess from her slumber instead.

"Hey," he whispered softly, "it's time to go."

Flame Princess opened her eyes drowsily. She reached over to grab a split log she left beside the fire pit and burned her way through it. Her fiery hair went ablaze and the rest of her body was rejuvenated. She sat upright, fully awake.

"Alright, I'm ready," she announced a little overly energetically.

The trio was about to continue onward, but Huntress Wizard hesitated, and looked down the path from which they came.

"Is something wrong?" Simon asked.

"I don't know," she replied with some level of uncertainty, "I just have this strange feeling…"

She couldn't find the words to finish her sentence.

"What feeling?" Simon asked.

"The air feels thinner," she explained as best as she could, "do you feel it? It's like a chill."

Simon and Flame Princess looked to each other and shrugged. Neither of them felt anything.

Suddenly, the chill went away. Huntress Wizard waited for a moment to be certain it was gone. It didn't come back.

"I don't feel anything," Flame Princess insisted, as she was, by far, the most sensitive to the cold.

"It's probably nothing, then," she told them, "Let's go."

They continued onward. An hour later, Axel approached.

He discovered the abandoned campground and began sifting through the earth, search for clues. He found rough spots in the dirt. It felt as though someone had only recently been walking in the clearing. Instantly, he knew this is where Flame Princess came and rested.

"This is where she must have camped," he spoke, "she has company, and it feels as though they only left recently. They couldn't have gotten far."

Axel looked down the path ahead for a moment, before towards the rising sun, using his arm to protect his eyes.

"I've been out here for too long," he cursed under his breath, wanting so badly to have seen the fruits of his labor unfurl.

He turned to face his new ally.

"I wish I could go with you," he told it, "but I must return to the Fire Kingdom. I take it you can handle this on your own?"

"You have released me from my prison," the creature began, "and for that, when I begin my crusade against the world, I will spare your life until everything else is dead."

"So, you can handle this?" Axel asked for clarity.

"The Lich will reign supreme upon the earth once more," he answered, "I will let nothing get in my way, not even you."

"Then cause as much havoc as you can," Axel told him, "kill whoever stands in your way, feed on the life forces of others, and most importantly, please, enjoy yourself. You may not have all your former power, but you have enough to get started."

"My purpose is to kill," the vile creature spoke, "I will do nothing less."

Axel's smile reeked of malevolent intent.

"That is all I ask in return."

* * *

Finn and Jake spent the walk talking and joking around. Finn hadn't been this happy in a long time.

"Sometimes I worry that I'm losing a part of who I am, you know?" Finn put in, "like I'm becoming someone else, someone I was never meant to be, and sometimes I feel like I have no control over it. That's a part of what's been bugging me."

"That's deep, bro," Jake told him, "have you ever told your mom any of this?"

Finn shook his head.

"I'm sure she'd really like to hear some of it," Jake added.

"I don't know, man," Finn felt conflicted, "I had a fight with her this morning and I really hurt her."

"What did you say?" Jake asked.

"I'd rather not repeat it," Finn held his head low.

"Did you say sorry?" Jake asked.

"I would have apologized," he said, "but she left before I could."

"When you see her, you should let her know," he told the human.

"What if she doesn't forgive me?" He asked.

"She's your mother, of course she'll forgive you," Jake asserted, "You know why? Because she loves you. How can you even ask something like that?"

Finn shrugged.

"There's something else," he admitted, "I just found out my mother was alive four years ago, and now she's living in Ooo with me. I should be happy, ecstatic even, but I'm not."

Jake had no answer to offer.

Finn turned away and raised an open hand in front of him and brushed against the air as though trying to make contact with someone who wasn't there.

"Do you have any idea what its like to care about someone so much, and to know that whenever you want to touch them, it's never gonna feel real?" Finn asked, "every time I feel her skin against mine, I keep thinking I'm gonna feel, well, skin, but I don't. Instead, I feel metal or a hologram, something that looks real, but feels fake because it _is_ fake."

"Where are you going with this?" Jake quirked.

"It makes me wonder if she's even my real mom," Finn continued, "I mean, how can I even know what she used to look like? Do I even really know anything about her? Ugh, my brain hurts just thinking about it."

"Kinda sounds like what your was like relationship with Flame Princess," Jake remarked. Finn couldn't help but acknowledge the clear similarities, "come to think of it, it also sounds like your relationship with Huntress Wizard."

"Huntress Wizard," Finn closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall back into the grass, "you know, I haven't even seen her in weeks."

"Do you love her?" Jake asked.

"I think I do," he replied.

"Then maybe that's something to work on," Jake suggested optimistically. Finn loved his glass-half-full personality, "try spending more time with the people you love, and let them know what's on your mind."

"But what about my mom?" Finn asked, "how do I open myself up to her? Does she even want to here this?"

"She's your mom, dude," Jake reminded him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "if I were your mom, I'd want to hear everything. How is your relationship gonna grow if you don't let her in? Minerva trusts you to make the right decisions. She trusts you to be on your own. Heck, man, she made the trip all the way here just to be with you. She risked the safety of her people when she could have kept you on that island for the rest of your life. You know why she did that?"

"Because she trusted me," Finn stated the obvious.

"Exactly!" Jake exclaimed, "I know it's weird living with someone you only met a few years ago, but she's family. She made that trip for you, man. That's a lot of trust, bro. And some day, you're gonna find out that trust goes both ways. She trusts you, why can't you trust her?"

"I dunno," Finn rubbed the back of his head, "family's are complicate."

"I wouldn't know," Jake shrugged, "but it sounds to me like you're not giving her a chance. Try it out, man! See what happens. I know it'll do you some good."

Jake held out his fist and Finn bounded it. The two stared at the sky in silence for a few moments longer.

"You know, Jake? I really needed this today," he told him, "it's really helped me put things into perspective."

"No problem, bro," Jake replied, "sometimes you just need to kick back, relax, and just let go of whatever biz is on your mind. Bottling up all these confliction feelings isn't good for anyone, especially since you're growing up."

"Yeah, man," Finn said, "growing up sucks."

The two were silent for the next few moments as well.

"Hey, Finn," Jake started. His tone had shifted.

"Yeah, dude," the two brothers turned to face each other.

"Just promise me one thing," he began.

"Uh, sure," the human chuckled, "what is it?"

"Don't grow up too fast, okay," he said seriously, taking his own advice and revealing a deeply hidden fear that's been brewing inside of him for years now.

Jake never got serious, ever. He was always about fun and games, so to hear him sound like a grown-up for once, probably for the first time ever in Finn's world, came as a surprise to him. Jake was treating him like an adult, and he didn't know how to react.

Finn offered no response, but it didn't matter. The two of them spotted something in the corner of their eye. They looked northwest and spooted green smoke was rising high in the sky.

"What the? Where is that coming fro- Oh, no!" Finn found his answer when he narrowed his view on the horizon. The source of the smoke was coming from the Candy Kingdom.

In a rush, the two heroes got off the floor and raced towards the kingdom, putting their conversation behind them.

Michael, who was still following and listening at a distance, was not so quick to rush. He stopped, paused, and analyzed the strands of energy that emanated from the smoke.

His jaw dropped; for felt a familiar presence looming in the smoke; an ancient enemy from his past that he believed he'd banished long ago.

"It can't be," he whispered to himself in abject horror.

He closed his eyes and analyzed the web closer. In the tangled mass, the echo only grew stronger, but as he delved further, he felt another familiar, but indirect presence.

Michael opened his eyes again now that the pieces were beginning to click into place.

"Axel, what have you done?"

* * *

 _ **An hour earlier…**_

Huntress Wizard and her companions continued down the path for a few hours more. Simon and Flame Princess were conversing amongst themselves while HW navigated quietly and watched out for potential hazards.

She stopped suddenly, and quickly stretched out her arms to keep her companions from going any further.

"Why are we stopping?" Flame Princess asked her.

"Just gimme a second," she told them.

Huntress Wizard sniffed the air and found that it stank of death. She crouched and sifted her fingers through the soil. It felt thinner, like the air. She stood up and walked over to the nearest tree and put her hand against the bark with her eyes closed.

"What is it?" Flame Princess asked.

Both she and Simon were a little freaked out.

"I feel rumblings, vibrations in the earth," she told them, struggling to understand it herself, "something big, coming this way. We're being hunted!"

In that instant, the chill she felt earlier returned, and it was deathly cold. Flame Princess shuttered, breathing out frosty air, as did Simon.

Huntress Wizard' eyes shot open; her pupils grew small and her jaw dropped. When she turned towards her companions, she saw a green mist floated in from the woods and a great ball of black fire hurdling towards them.

"Get down!" She cried.

But they couldn't react quickly enough. Using her supernatural agility, Huntress Wizard tackled both of them to the ground. Huntress Wizard felt Flame Princess' fiery skin burn through her left arm, and she screamed.

Huntress Wizard rolled and leaped back onto her feet, clutching her burn and grinding her teeth. She saved her companions, but only temporarily.

Huntress Wizard cursed herself for ignoring her lingering feelings; for not taking them seriously.

The creature appeared from within the mist. His very steps killed all the plant-life surrounding him, leaving nothing but black earth.

The creature was large and wide. His face twisted and contorted violently, and two horns stuck out from either side of his head. He twitched. His body was decaying at a rapid pace, and a huge chunk of skin fell from his mouth, revealing the skeleton of his lower jaw.

Huntress Wizard conjured her bow, and levitated an arrow from her quiver, prepared to strike. Flame Princess and Simon got off the floor and backed away.

"Guys, get out of here," Huntress Wizard told her companions, "I'll handle this."

"Are you sure?" Simon asked with uncertainty, "We can-"

"Go!" She shouted.

The two continued down the path in a hurry, leaving Huntress Wizard to face the adversary alone.

She held it at bow point, waiting for it to make the first move, but both she and it remained deathly still.

"What are you?" She finally asked, "a demon, a mohrg, some kind of necromancer?"

The thing started to giggle. Steadily, it grew into a light chuckle, then full blown laughter until finally he broke out into maniacal laugh. Green fire shot out from its eyes, and its tongue split in half and tied itself into a knot. Worms passed inside and out of its nose and the various holes in the side of its cheeks.

Huntress Wizard felt like vomiting.

"I'm not playing around," Huntress Wizard drew the arrow back further.

"I am the end of everything, child," the being answered, "I am the cure to your benevolence, the manifestation of your demise. I am the last remaining disciple of GOLB, the harbinger of chaos. I am what you mortals call the Lich, and I have returned to the world to continue my divine mission."

"I've heard of you in stories," Huntress Wizard admitted, "they say you were contained long ago in a prison of your own making. How do you escape?"

"I escaped from my prison long ago," he answered, "I would have reeked havoc on the world, but I was beaten and imprisoned in the body of a child. I have lost much of my former power, but I will have it soon. And when I kill you, my power will only begin to grow."

Huntress Wizard finally let lose the arrow, it passed through the Lich's skull as though he was made of thin air. Her eyes grew wide.

It began to laugh again.

"You cannot kill me," he mocked, "I am beyond death."

Huntress Wizard's bow disappeared. She opened her hand towards the floor, drawing blades of grass from the ground, and allowed the grass to transform into an axe.

She charged at the vile creature with great speed, crouching low and swinging high. The Lich deflected the blow with its bulky arm and remained undamaged.

Huntress Wizard reposed, twisted in the air, and kicked him in the side, hard, but it had no effect. She came down, rolled to the side and tried again, but the same result occurred.

She tried to mix it up a bit, swinging her axe at its legs, knees, and chest. She tried kicking high and low, but no matter what she did, the Lich seemed to anticipate her moves and deflect them.

They continued to scuffle for a little while longer, but it became increasingly obvious to her that the Lich was just toying with her.

"I know your mind, little wizard," the Lich spoke maniacally and in arrogance, "I know every move you will make."

Huntress Wizard swung the axe towards the creature's head. This time, he gripped her by the wrist and tossed her violently off to the side. She lost her grip on the axe, and as a result, the magic dissimilated, and the grass axe dismantled itself into thousands of harmless little blades.

She tumbled and rolled and quickly recovered to her feet, dragging her hand into the ground to stop her momentum and holding her left hand out behind her.

The Lich drew his hands out in front of her and conjured a giant ball of ooze between them. Huntress Wizard had witnessed similar spells being casted before in the land of the wizards, and, knowingly, she immediately dashed to the side, using the thicket for cover.

When the ball was fully formed, thousands of green needles shot out from it like a Gatling gun. Huntress Wizard threw herself between trees and bushes, doing front flips, cartwheels, and midair twists, even swinging from the branches above; doing everything she could to avoid being hit.

She used her supernatural agility to her advantage, and her Huntress Vision allowed her to perceive the direction of the needles as they came.

The Lich chipped away at the plants, tearing many of the trees down and clearing a large section of the forest for miles. They hit pretty much everything in their path, except Huntress Wizard.

The ball of ooze slowly, but surely disintegrated into nothingness as the last of its juice was depleted. Huntress Wizard found cover behind a tree in the distance and kept out of sight. She was panting hard and sweet poured from her forehead.

 _That was too close_ , she thought to herself, _I gotta hide_.

She ran further into the woods, knowing the Lich would follow. When she was far enough away, she climbed a tree to its lowest branch and attached and camouflaged herself to it.

The Lich chased her to where she was supposed to be, and while his magic had the capacity to sense her mind, he was not yet strong enough to locate her exact position. All he knew is that she was close.

"I know you are here," he told her, "I can feel your anxiety, your fear; You _stink_ of it."

Huntress Wizard held her breath, and did everything she could to keep him from finding her.

"Something is eating away at your mind," he observed, "What is it I wonder?"

Huntress Wizard refused to reveal her location, but she started to feel antagonized.

"Ah, I see," he continued, unknowingly passing her by, "you're hiding a part of yourself from everybody. Is that why you rarely choose to speak? Is that why you choose to remain distant from the world, from civilization, from the people you care about, from the man you love?"

Huntress Wizard opened her eyes and saw that the Lich's back was turned to her.

She quietly drew an arrow from her quiver and imbued it with a alchemy reagent from her pouch. Very slowly, she levitated it over the Lich's head.

He continued to scan his surroundings. He looked in every direction, except for directly above.

"I see all that _is_ your mind," he continued to mock, "Let me ask you: how would it make you feel to watch him die?"

Huntress Wizard released the arrow and buried it in the Lich's shoulder meat. It squealed like a wild hog.

 _So you can feel pain_ , she thought, de-camouflaging and detaching herself from the tree, _good_.

Huntress Wizard leaped onto the Lich's shoulders, pulled at its horns and began riding him. She threw him left and right, ramming him into trees and boulders. The Lich thrashed around, trying to throw her off, but she held on tight.

He tried to transform himself into mist, but something prevented him from doing so. His wounded shoulder throbbed when he did.

She drew two grass daggers hidden inside her gloves and began slicing and dicing and stabbing at the creature's upper body. The Lich tried to pull her off, but when he reached over with his right hand, Huntress Wizard cut off his index and middle fingers and forced him to withdraw.

The Lich thrashed harder, and finally almost threw her off. She released the daggers, choosing instead to hold on and ride him like a wild bull and allowed him to tire himself out. When he calmed down, she boxed his ears hard. The Lich screamed. She continued to pull on his horns, maneuvering him any way she could to throw him off balance.

The Lich reached behind once more and his grip finally found her cloak. He pulled her off of him and threw her into a tree across from him. He do so with such force that he sent her crashing right through it and smashing into a boulder close behind, shattering its surface. She fell to the floor and wheezed, trying to find her breath.

The lich lost his balance and fell backwards, gripping its wounded shoulder; Huntress Wizard got up as quickly as she could, using the rock as a crutch, but she was hurt as well.

When the Lich tried to remove the arrow, it cauterized the surface of his hand. He yelled, and recoiled, knowing that the arrow drained some of his energy.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you," Huntress Wizard smirked, "the arrow is laced with an anti-magical toxin. The more you struggle to remove it, the worse it gets."

The Lich laughed out of utter frustration and genuine joy.

"It's no wonder I could not transmogrify into mist," he hissed, "you are a cunning devil, aren't you?"

The Lich stood tall on its too feet.

"But is that really the best you can do?" He mocked, "I'll make you a promise: when I finally kill you and drain you of your essence, I'll visit Finn first. I will imprison him, torture him, and I will make sure he feels every cut. I will not kill him until he feels the delight of every passing agony. And when his times comes, I'll let him know how you begged for your life before the end!"

A fury boiled inside Huntress Wizard like never before. She charged at him with the ferociousness of a lion and roared a terrifying roar. She jumped into the air, swung on the branch of the tree above her, and threw herself into the Lich, knocking him back onto the floor.

She pinned him to the floor, raised her right fist, and front it down towards the creature's head. The Lich caught it, just before she landed the blow. When she punched with her left, he caught that as well. The two grappled in the dirt, struggling to get an advantage over the other.

"I can taste your fury," he mocked, "your hatred. It's only a matter of time before it consumes you, just like all the other wizards. Let it enrage you. Allow the madness to set in!"

"You don't know anything about me," she sneered.

The Lich rolled over and found himself on top of her. He put his hands around her neck and squeezed. Black ooze emanated from his body and seeped into her skin. Black veins began to pop out around her neck and leech her energy. The arrow in his shoulder very slowly began to evaporate.

"Oh, but I do," he replied, as he slowly began to choke her to death, "I know you better than you know yourself. You don't even understand the contents of your own unconscious being."

Huntress Wizard grabbed a patch of grass from the earth to her side. The blades of grass wiggled around in her hand like worms and transformed into a knife. She stuck it right inside the soft, meaty spot in the side of his hand.

The Lich squealed again, releasing his grip on her. The black veins slowly disappeared. Huntress Wizard shoved him off of her to the side, and she rolled right back on top of him. She plunged the knife into his heart with both her hands on the hilt.

It didn't kill the creature, but it certainly hurt it.

"I can do this all day," she growled, twisting the blade and forcing another squeal out of the Lich's mouth.

The battle raged on, but neither of them, no matter how badly they hurt each other and tore at each other's flesh, could seem to get the upper hand.

* * *

Simon and Flame Princess made it out of the forest and into the open fields. The two companions stopped to rest and think, allowing the guilt of their decision to finally set in. They exchanged worried glances.

"We need to go back and help her fight," Simon suggested, almost in a guilted panic.

Flame Princess shook her head.

"No, Huntress Wizard said she could handle it," Flame Princess insisted, "she told us to run, and we ran. Can you even fight, Simon?"

"That's beside the point," he dodged the question. He raised his arm and pointed towards the woods, and continued with growing intensity, "that thing, I've seen it before in my dreams. Whatever it is, it has tremendous power, and I know you felt it too."

"Then you should know that _you_ , of all of us, are no match for whatever that was," her words sounded harsher than she had intended, "you aren't the Ice King anymore, Simon. You're a normal human being. I bet you can't even conjure magic anymore, can you!"

"No," Simon admitted, but he refused to give into defeat, "Okay, so maybe _I_ can't fight, but you can."

"Actually, I can't," Flame Princess insisted strongly.

"What do you mean _you can't_?" Simon argued, "She could die, you must understand that. You once fought and defeated the Ice King easily, so why exactly can't you-"

"I said I can't do it!" She screamed. Ripe with inner turmoil, she went ablaze, to Simon's shock and terror, but when she calmed down and gained control of herself, she just shook her head and said ever so softly, "I just… can't."

Simon wanted to protest, but he knew nothing he could say would change her mind. Flame Princess was not going to fight, and he accepted that fact.

Flame Princess saw in his eyes that he had already made up his mind.

"I'm going back," Simon decided, "if you don't want to come, fine, but do us a favor.

Flame Princess lowered her head in shame. She felt like a coward.

"What?" She asked, expecting his words to bite.

"Find somewhere safe," Simon told her softly, to her surprise, "if we don't make it, I don't want you to join us."

Flame Princess offered no response. She simply looked at him wide eyed.

Simon ran back through the woods. Flame Princess looked north, and squeezed her fists tightly, hating the choice she was about to make, but _she_ was the only person Flame Princess could think of that might be able to help them out.

* * *

The Lich was finally able to toss Huntress Wizard off him, and the grapple ended. It hissed, clutching the wounds it had endured. Huntress Wizard struggle to get up. Blood poured from her forehead and her mouth. She brushed the blood from her lower lip and raised both her fists, swerving to the side.

"You-" The Lich chuckled weakly, "you are quite the challenge, little wizard. I underestimated you, greatly."

Huntress Wizard held her gaze on the Lich, but her vision blurred, and she had no energy left to conjure a weapon.

"Sounds like you do that often," she remarked wittily.

It was at that moment that the magic in the arrow fully faded. It burned black and disappeared into the air. Huntress Wizard knew at that point that she was in serious trouble. She dropped into a fighting stance, waiting him to make an attack.

"I have enjoyed our little skirmish," he told her, "but I have another task to complete."

With his power freed, the Lich transformed into a black vapor and withdrew into the shadow of the woods, leaving her hopelessly confused.

She waited, and when the chill went away she knew that the creature was truly gone. She dropped to her knees, and panted loudly, greatly relieved.

She thought deeply about the Lich's words, and almost panicked. They echoed in her mind; he knew everything!

"Huntress Wizard?" Simon asked directly ahead.

Thinking that she was alone, she jumped. Her eyes grew small, and the adrenaline began rushing through her. She got back up, and put up both her fists. She wasn't even aware that it was Simon, and not the Lich.

"Hey, hey, hey," Simon spoke softly, holding out both hands, "it's me. It's Simon."

He approached her slowly, and when he got up to her, he put his hand to the side of her face so that she knew it was him.

Huntress Wizard dropped her guard, and the adrenaline drained from her body. She closed her eyes, and began to fall over to the side.

"Huntress Wizard!" Simon noticed it quickly and caught her before she could collapse onto the hard floor, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied, chuckling, "just tired."

Despite her circumstances, she maintained her consciousness, albeit weakly.

"Get some rest then," Simon gently laid her head on the ground, "I'll wake you in a little bit."

She fell into a deep sleep, giving Simon time to analyze his surroundings. He looked out for the Lich, but found no sign of him anywhere.

"Why would you just leave?" He muttered to himself.

He pondered over the question for a long time, but no answer came to him. All he could think to do, while Huntress Wizard slept, was to pray that Flame Princess would be okay.

* * *

At the time of the battle, Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum was working in her laboratory, conducting various experiments with chemical agents. The ringing of a one-way emergency phone interrupted her suddenly. While she continued to jot down notes on a clipboard, she took the call.

"What is it, Banana Guard two-hundred forty-three?" She asked, slightly agitated.

"You have a visitor in the throne room, princess," he told her in his usual autistic manner, "she says she needs you to hurry."

Bubblegum looked up from her clipboard to the various beakers and vials, some cooking under the Bunsen burners. The chemical reaction was about to start, and she knew she couldn't be bothered now.

"Look, tell them I'm busy," she told the guard, "I'm doing some important research, and-"

"Will you just get down here, Bubblegum!" Flame Princess snatched the phone from the guard shouted so loudly, it left PBs ear ringing. She nearly dropped her clipboard.

"I'll be right down," Bonnie told the fiery girl, not wanting to anger her further.

She turned off the burners, put away her safety goggles and lab coat, and set everything aside. Knowing she would have to redo the entire experiment from the beginning, she left with a frustrated mindset.

Bubblegum descended down the spiraling staircase and entered the throne room, where Flame Princess was waiting impatiently.

"What the dip Flame Princess?" Bonnie shouted, "that really hurt my eardrum! Was it really necessary for you to shout so loud-"

"Shut up and listen!" Flame Princess interrupted rudely, "there's something in the woods near the Candy Kingdom, something evil, and two of my friends are fighting it right now! I need you to come with me and help them fight it!"

Bubblegum crossed her arms.

"You need my help?" She asked skeptically.

"Yes," she cried, as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Of all the people you could have gone to, you came to me?" She continued with the same skepticism, "Why not ask Finn?"

"Well , I was on my way to see him when-" Flame Princess stopped and shook her head, "look, we're wasting time. Will you help me or not?"

"You can help them fight. Why did you have to come to me?" she questioned.

"So, is that a no?" Flame Princess asked, dodging the question.

Princess Bubblegum recognized the elusion, but she ignored for now, choosing to focus on another question instead.

"Why should I help you, anyways?" She asked, "all you've done since you showed up is yell and make demands of me."

"People are going to die if you don't help!" Flame Princess yelled, "doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"You haven't even told me what it is you found," Princess Bubblegum argued, "do you have anything to offer in return?"

Flame Princess was about ready to blow a fuse.

"How about a please?" Princess Bubblegum suggested, arms still crossed.

"Please," Flame Princess said softly, holding out her hands. She had nothing else to offer, and she hated to say the word to Bubblegum of all people, but she was desperate for her help.

Princess Bubblegum sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I'll take a look at what you found," she said, "let me get some equipment and I'll meet you by the gate."

As soon as she was about to head back upstairs to her lab, a green mist seeped into the throne room through cracks in the doors and windows.

The banana guards began to moan while slowly rocking from side to side. Their pupils became green and the whites of their eyes turned black as night.

The air became cold and everyone in the room felt it strongly.

"It's here," Flame Princess' eyes grew wide with fear.

Bubblegum was only now starting to take her seriously.

The palace double doors shot open, and a violent wind blew through the room. Flame Princess grunted; the wind cut right through her. She clutched her side, yelled in agony, and fell to her knees.

"Flame Princess?" Bubblegum asked concerned, "what's wrong?"

The chilling wind blew harder and grew colder. Flame Princess hunched over, and fell to the floor unconscious, and a familiar enemy entered her presence.

Princess Bubblegum was paralyzed with fear.

"No," she couldn't believe it, "it can't be. You were-"

In less than a second, the Lich dashed directly in front of her, putting a hand over her mouth and a finger to his bony lips.

"Shhh," it told her.

Princess Bubblegum lost consciousness and fell to the floor. The Lich looked to the banana guards off to the side.

"Leave the fire girl," he commanded, and then he pointed to the candy princess, "but save this one. I have a use for her."

* * *

 _ **Present…**_

Finn and Jake ran through the meadow all the way up the valley towards the Candy Kingdom. The entire city was shrouded in a green mist, and the candy people were nowhere to be seen. They stared in from the exit, but neither of them went near the mist. All was deathly silent inside.

Finn attempted to take the first steps inside; Jake grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What?" Finn asked, agitated.

"What if its toxic?" He mused.

Finn looked back, and realized that he could be right.

"Let me go in first," he suggested with unthinking confidently. Jake shot him a nervous glance, "Don't worry. I'll hold my breath and if I can't hold it any longer, I'll come back."

"I don't know, Finn," Jake sounded worried, "that sounds dangerous."

"Isn't everything we do dangerous?" Finn smirked.

Jake didn't appear convinced.

"Well, do you have a better plan, then?" Finn asked, "we can just do nothing. The princess could be in trouble!"

Michael, who was following them from behind, continued to keep his distance and his presence unknown. But he heard the conversation, and chose to help them.

Hiding behind a cotton candy tree, he raised a hand slowly and cast a spell that pushed the fog away, giving them a clean path to the palace.

Jake freaked out.

"Okay, I'm out of here!" He turned away and ran, but Finn quickly caught him in a bear hug.

"Hey, that is not what we do!" Finn scolded.

"Something wants us to go inside and I want no part of it," Jake told him hysterically.

"We have to save the princess!" Finn insisted.

"But what if it's a trap?" Jake asked. Finn let him go and allowed him to speak, "what if we walk in, and the gas closes in around us and kills us?"

"That's a chance I'm willing to take," Finn replied with conviction. He turned to the fog and drew the Night Sword from his back.

"Finn, I'm not going in there!" Jake yelled to him in the distance.

"Okay," Finn replied back knowingly.

Finn continued to walk until he was already half way through the kingdom. The fog stayed off to the sides.

Jake grumbled and whined, but he went after him against his better instincts.

Michael followed when they were gone. He came to the edge of the fog and examined it closely. Using a spell, he breathed it in so that he could identify the substance properly.

It turned out that Jake was right. The fog was deadly, but Michael could not seem to identify what it was and that peaked his curiosity.

Michael coughed the gas out, clearly his lungs fully. He looked up towards the palace and he knew immediately that the Lich was there.

* * *

Simon sat against a tree, watching over his leafy companion for twenty minutes before he looked in the sky and saw the green smoke rising in the north.

"What?" Simon adjusted his glasses.

He climbed the tree and peered out from the tippy top. His impaired vision made it hard to make out, but he narrowed his eyes and saw the smoke was indeed rising from the Candy Kingdom.

He watched as Finn and Jake came up to the entrance. Finn and Jake talked for a little while. The fog suddenly seemed to move to the side, and Jake tried to run. They wrestled, and then they spoke for a little while longer, and then Finn entered, and Jake followed shortly after. A few moments later, he saw a figure cloaked in a dark-gray robe follow them in pursuit.

Simon climbed back down and shook Huntress Wizard awake.

"Hey, we need to get going," Simon said softly.

"What's wrong?" Huntress Wizard asked, sensing the desperation in his words.

Simon pointed to the sky where she, too, saw the rising smoke.

"The smoke," he explained, "I climbed a tree and it's coming from the Candy Kingdom. I think something's gone terribly wrong."

"What?" Huntress Wizard leaped onto her feet and parkoured her way up into the trees so she could see what he was talking about.

She analyzed the peril of the Candy Kingdom in the distance with her Huntress Vision. There appeared to be no dead bodies or any sign of battle.

"It looks abandoned, Huntress Wizard commented, "something's definitely off. What else did you see?"

"I saw Finn and Jake," he replied, grabbing her attention completely, "they went inside, and I think they were being followed, by a man in a robe."

"Was he a wizard?" She asked.

"I don't know," he replied, "he may not have even been a man. I couldn't see his face from that distance."

Huntress Wizard pondered over their options for a moment before Simon interrupted her train of thought.

"We should head out now," Simon rushed her.

Regardless, she continued to analyze the fog and came to a startling revelation.

"The Lich is there," she shouted.

"The Lich?" Simon asked, "wait, you mean that thing that tried to attack us was the Lich? How do you know?"

She jumped back down to the floor.

"He told me," she answered passing him by in thought.

"How do you even know the Lich's there?" He asked.

"My Huntress Vision allows me to see many things the naked eye cannot find on its own," she answered, "I see traces of his presence in the fog, and he has already made his mark on the city. There are traces of death leading into the kingdom. I see it all."

"Then we need to go now," he insisted, "the candy people could be in danger, or worse."

The last thing Huntress Wizard wanted to do was get back into a fight with the Lich, but her concern for Finn overrode her better judgment.

"We need to hurry," she agreed.

The two departed for the Candy Kingdom, possibly marching into their impending doom.

* * *

Finn and Jake busted through the candy castle's double door. The Lich comfortably on the throne with a massive cauldron filled with a bubbling green fluid was placed in front of him. Banana guards lined the walls to the side, their eyes matching the eyes of the vile creature.

Flame Princess was left unconscious on the floor, turning blue while Princess Bubblegum was tied up near the cauldron.

"Finn!" She cried ecstatically.

"Ah, Finn the Human," the creature mocked, "here to rescue the princess and save the day once again, I see. You're stoicism is admirable, but foolish as ever. I underestimated you one too many times. Be warned, I will not make that mistake again."

"Flame Princess," Finn muttered in terror, fearing for her life.

The Lich gnashed his teeth, grinning viciously, and snickered. A fire erupted inside Finn's chest. Stoically, the hero raised his sword to the creature, unabashed and unafraid.

"I swear, if you did anything to hurt her, I will tear you to shreds," Finn growled, "I don't care if-"

Finn stopped. He took a close look at the Lich, and suddenly all the aggression he felt vanished in an instant.

He lowered his blade, and eventually allowed it fall to the floor. Jake saw exactly what Finn saw. In response, he took a step back and gasped, utterly horrified.

"Sweet P?" Finn called out gently. The Lich laughed.

"Sweet P is gone," he spat.

Finn approached him slowly and cautiously, hands out in front of him.

"Sweet P, I know you're there," he spoke softly.

The Lich tossed a ball of green fire his way, but the fire missed its mark completely at landed to the side, leaving a black scorch mark in the sugar-encrusted floor. Finn looked back at the Lich with confidence, knowing the Lich had missed on purpose.

"Sweet P, I know you won't hurt me," he continued, "you can fight this thing. You did it once; I know you can do it again."

The Lich allowed the boy to come closer, readying a spell to use against him. Finn was not a fool, however, and was well aware that the Lich was drawing him in.

"His mind belongs to me now," the Lich antagonized, "and his body is no longer his own."

"Then why don't you take my mind too?" Finn quarreled. The Lich snarled, "I know Sweet P's fighting you! That's why you can't do it!"

The boy's ignorance amused the Lich greatly.

"Look around you," the Lich held out its hands to the Banana guards at the side, "I control the minds of these soldiers. They belong to me. You cannot defeat them all, and if you could, would you really kill them, knowing that they are not acting of their own free will? That's not what a hero would do."

The Banana guards all raised their spears to the human, moaning. Finn glanced to both sides nervously.

"My power was stolen from me," the Lich told him in agony, slamming his fist against the armrest of the throne, "I only have enough of my former strength to dominate the feeblest of minds."

"Finn, you see the cauldron?" Princess Bubblegum shouted in desperation, "he's trying to revive his well of power with what's inside. If you disrupt the ritual, you will free my guards, but if he succeeds, he'll have all his powers back and we will all be doomed!"

"What about Sweet P?" Finn asked, "will it free Sweet P, too?"

"Finn!" She yelled, which meant, _get moving_!

Finn sprung into action, but without his sword, his options became limited, and he refused to kill any of the guards. They charged at him one by one. Using nothing but his fists, he still found that they posed only a minor threat and proved easy to defeat.

"How much time do I have?" Finn asked as he brawled.

"Not long," she told him, "hurry!"

The Lich held a hand towards her and squeezed the air. Princess Bubblegum gagged, feeling the silver touch of his invisible hand wrapped around her throat. He made sure that she only had enough air to remain conscious alive, but she was unable to speak.

Finn punched a banana guard in the face, knocking him onto the floor, and freed up some space to allow himself to sprint for the cauldron, but when he got close enough to knock it over, the Lich raised his other hand and sent him crashing into the back of the room.

Jake finally decided to act. The guards that Finn had knocked down came right back up like zombies. He turned his right hand into a giant ball-peen hammer, and went to work.

He hit one guard on the head so many times that he eventually buried him deep into the floor and incapacitated him.

Finn quickly recovered and joined him in the skirmish. Finn was able to take a spear from one of the guards, and began using the blunt end of it for self-defense. The two brothers fought hard, and while the Banana Guards posed no real threat, they deterred them greatly from their real goal. The guards were just buying the Lich time to finish his spell.

The Lich finally let go of the princess' throat and moved his head closer to the cauldron.

"Finn!" Bubblegum cried, "he's finishing the ritual!"

The cauldron steamed, and the Lich breathed in the fumes. Finn tried harder than ever to push through the line of guards that stood between them, but the enslaved guards fought viciously to keep him at bay. Finn still refused to kill any of them.

"No!" Bubblegum panicked, "hurry Finn, please! You need to stop it now!"

Hundreds of tormented souls disperses from the fluid and spread out through the air. The Lich laughed, and suddenly, all became black.

"Fall."

The Lich's words echoed through the vacuum. Both Finn and Jake toppled over to the side. They felt so heavy, like they were made of rocks.

Finn tried desperately to get up, but it was no use. Jake didn't even bother trying.

He approached Finn, ever so slowly.

"I will make slaves of you," he announced Jake before turning his attention to Finn, "but you, Finn. I underestimated you, and suffered the consequences. I won't make that mistake again. That is why you must die."

H raised a fiery green fist, ready to rip his soul from his body, and to add it to the millions he had collected since the Mushroom War.

Before he could land the killing blow, something ripped through its chest; a bright white light seared through his rotting flesh and the world returned to normal. Everyone who had been under his spell, including the banana guards was freed.

The Lich squealed, and quickly turned into a black mist. The mist traveled out the front door and far into the distant sky.

Finn looked up where the Lich had been. The man he met in the alleyway stood there; his hand glowed brightly, and some sort of bubble spell visibly was visibly protecting his mind.

"Michael?" Finn asked, in utter disbelief, "What are you-"

Michael dispelled the magic in his hand and held it out for Finn to grab. Finn took it, and he hoisted the boy off the floor. All around the room, the banana guards were waking, one by one, shaking their heads, completely and hopelessly confused.

Legions of confused candy people came in from outside and flooded the throne room.

"Um, I think I'm stuck," said the banana guard who Jake had put into the ground. He shook and struggled, but could not get out of the hole. Eventually, four guards came up and pulled him out.

"Princess!" One of the guards shrieked, "You're all tied up!"

The guard quickly ran up to untie her, and another joined in. With the cold air gone, Flame Princess steadily grew hotter and hotter, and eventually she woke up as well. A worried Finn ran up beside her.

"Flame Princess," he cried, "are you okay?"

"Finn?" she wondered if she was back in the void, "Finn, what are you doing here?"

"I saw the smoke coming from the kingdom," he replied, "I thought there was trouble, so I came as quickly as I could. Are you hurt? What did the Lich do to you?"

His show of concerned warmed her deeply.

"I'm fine," she replied, smiling, "all though I don't really remember what happened."

Finn tried to hold her hand, but he recoiled quickly.

"Ah!" Finn yelped, and later chuckled at his own stupidity, "burns."

It had been so long since he had interacted with her that he had forgotten how much she hurt when he touched her.

"Sorry," Flame Princess apologized.

"No, it's okay," Finn replied, "I'm just glad you're okay."

At that moment, two more people came running through the front door making their way passed the crowd of candy people that crowded the entrance; one of them limped, clutching at a burn on her arm. Finn turned and was pleasantly surprised her.

"Huntress Wizard!" he exclaimed with joy.

"Finn?" she looked around the room, confused and conflicted, "what's going on? Is everyone all right? The mist just disappeared all of a sudden."

Finn ran up to her and embraced her in his arms. She closed her eyes and smiled, returning the embrace and burying her head in his chest.

What was a happy moment for them was torture for Flame Princess. Eventually, she had to look away.

 _ **A/N: I REALLY, REALLY wish I could have added more immediately following that last sentence, but it would have made the chapter WAY too long (Seriously, this chapter was over 16,000 words long!) and I needed to wrap it up. I'm saving the next moments in Candy Castle for the next chapter, and I hope that you all are okay with that, or at the very least, understand why I ended it on that cliffhanger.**_

 _ **This chapter was very tricky to write, and not just because it was long. It was trickier than even Chapter 4, and that's saying quite a lot. Chapter 4 was a nightmare to write as I was juggling three different plot threads together to try and make a cohesive story, all while introducing Simon Petrikov and Huntress Wizard into the story, as well as setting up for this chapter, and taking into account a few criticisms some of you (Deathclaw2010 and Dragonstorm0) pointed out and trying to adjust my writing accordingly.**_

 _ **In this chapter, I got the criticism part down (I hope), but I had to juggle five plots as consistently as possible (albeit, Axel's plot being extremely short), connect the dots, introduce Minerva, Princess Bubblegum, Michael (who I'm really excited to be introducing into the story!), the Lich, and more. I had to set up the relationship for Finn and his mom, give some mystery to Michael's character and connect him and ground him to the story, bring Jake into the mix and have him retain his goofy self from the show while trying to keep the story serious as well, introduce the human kingdom (which some of you were really excited to finally see. I hope I did it enough justice so far. I have a 37 page document pertaining to the history, development, and layout of the kingdom, including its infrastructure and the various functions of each of the districts. Most of it wasn't even in the chapter, but I hope less is more and you all become interested in this particular aspect of the Human Kingdom's lore), introduce a more matured Finn while staying in touch with the goofy side of him that people love (I hope I did this well), and SOOOOOO much more! This was tough, but I'm happy with how it turned out.**_

 _ **I would like to thank Deathclaw2010 and Dragonstorm0 again for their critiques. You have both been wonderful with your time and feedback.**_

 _ **Personally, I feel as though this might be my weakest chapter because it may have been a bit too much. I didn't want to stretch this out to multiple chapters though as I thought it would inevitably ruin the pace. I'm eager and nervous to see what you the readers think.**_

 _ **I got quite a few reviews from the last chapter (around 19 I believe), and I am so very happy so many of you loved the last chapter! Your comments were wonderful, and I couldn't be prouder and happier with how this story has turned out so far. I hope to do this story justice as I continue to write and I hope you all continue to read.**_

 _ **I also hope that the work I put into this particular chapter shows. If it didn't pay off, I would really like to know what I could do better in Chapter 6. If you liked it, let me know exactly what you liked about it! Any and all comments are welcome, and don't be afraid to really critique my work.**_

 _ **On the topic of the next chapter, I don't think the next chapter will be as long, but I could be wrong.**_

 _ **All right, it's time for review responses!**_

 _ **Guest: "I'm so glad you liked it. Writing that introduction for Simon was actually the hardest part to write for Chapter 4, particularly because I, like you, was not so interested in introducing him (especially because it had barely any dialogue) as much as I was interested in having him interact with Flame Princess, and having them get to know each other on an honest and individual basis, all while having them both know who Simon used to be and what he did. I must have rewritten Simon's introduction nine times (maybe more), and the dream sequence was only added at the very end, believe it or not. The dream sequence was ultimately the missing piece of the puzzle for his entire introduction, or else it would have been really mediocre! I'm really glad you all seem to like it!"**_

 _ **GarrusVakarrian: "Sweet! I'm glad you liked it!**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **Deathclaw2010: "I'm so glad I was able to deliver on what you wanted, and the result has been wonderful. Your criticism, as small as it may have seemed to you, was invaluable to me, and it wouldn't have been possible without it! I hear what you're saying about Axel returning to the throne room as feeling kind of unnecessary. As for the bit about Flame Princess and Jake Two, I wrote that part about her with that very thing in mind and I did so for a few reasons. One, she just witnessed her best friend get murdered in front of her very eyes, both time by Axel. Two, she made a promise to herself and to Argus to never hurt anyone again with her powers and failed subsequently when she accidentally cut off Axel's arm in order to save the knight, Alcaeus. Three, she also failed to save Alcaeus' life, the man who saved hers on two accounts. Even though she didn't know him on a personal level, as his former king, she does care for her him and her people. As the ruler she feels that she must bear the blame (even though, in my opinion, she probably shouldn't at all, but this is a theme in the original series that is clearly present, i.e. altruistic rule. I'm trying to tackle the question.). Now, how this all pertains to Jake Two is predicated on reason (albeit, an emotional, and consequently irrationally driven reason). She sent Jake Two home specifically because she is terrified of losing him like she lost his master and she couldn't bear the burden of being at fault for it, and because of this fear, she is trying to push everyone else away, especially the people that she cares about to the point of absurdity. You picked up on that absurdity, which is great! More importantly, you are RIGHT! She's so focused on others that she cannot see that her own logic can be (and quite honestly, should be) used against her, but she's not consistent because she's afraid. That is the irrationality of it! But why is she failing? Why is this a flaw for her? That's because of one simple reason, she's just not thinking of herself and this bears the consequence of devastation and existential destitution. You can clearly see the tragic results in the number of times she's almost died. If this still isn't satisfying, that's quite alright, and I'll certainly think about any other criticisms you have. Anyways, I really hope you like chapter 5! Again, I greatly appreciate the criticism and kind words! I am eager (and quite nervous!) to hear what you think of this chapter! Don't hold back, baby!"**_

 _ **Dragonstorm0: "Thank you so much for your wonderful words! On the topic of Huntress Wizard, one of the many goals I have for this story is to make Huntress Wizard a more interesting and compelling character across the board. And that's tricky, as she didn't really have much of a character to go begin with (we only had hints of a character, but it was never explored, sadly). The hard part with her character is that she's an introvert and, if you watch the show carefully, you start to notice a pattern whenever she speaks. She ONLY speaks when it's absolutely necessary. So, you might wonder then, when it is necessary for her to speak? Well, it's when she can actually add information that the characters around her don't have or when she is spoken to directly. Ultimately, while it could have been an interesting aspect of her character, it instead made her feel like a plot device for Finn's romantic and emotional development than more than a character. That's probably one of the reasons you don't like her (I like her, but I understand why so many people don't and the reasoning is sound and should be taken seriously). You may have already noticed an added level of depth to Huntress Wizard from this chapter, and it's largely influenced by the few foundational elements left from the series. Let me know what you think!"**_

 _ **Guest: "Yep, and so is this one now!**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **xGBL13x: "You can thank Dragonstorm0 and Deathclaw2010 for the added dialogue! Using their criticisms, I was able to go back and cut back on the exposition all while incorporating more dialogue to add a more natural and entertaining method for character development, all while attempting to make the characters feel like characters and less like plot devices."**_

 _ **Virxas: "Awesome! One of the aspects I'm trying to explore when it comes to the character interactions is to find the questions left unanswered at the end of the show and try to sort out the various patterns and themes of the show to determine, as best I can, what I believe is most likely to happen. Now that Simon is back, and the Ice King is no more (well, I suppose Gunther is the new Ice King, but you get my point), he has a chance to start anew. What I mean by that is that Simon is very much new to this world of wizards and witchcraft and crazy monsters (relatively speaking), and that's really cool to explore because that means he'll be able to interact with the world in a unique way that no other character (besides Michael maybe) can do. Michael will act in a similar way, but for completely different reasons. I hope to explore this as the story develops."**_

 _ **Blaszczu2500: "Awesome dude. Glad you're enjoying it!**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **OMAC100: "No, no it's not! And it just got worse."**_

 _ **AlecDoUrden: "Yeah, sorry about the long wait. These last few chapters have proven tricky to write."**_

 _ **Guest: "I appreciate the compliment. I will say this: it's not that hard to see why people get so defensive when their work is attacked. When you become so attached to your work (especially when you attribute it to a work of art), it becomes really hard to take negative criticism (especially when it has malevolent intent behind it). People ultimately have to grow the f*** up and get over this because what it leads to is a trivialized divide within a given fandom. What I mean by that is, when you attack your readership for criticisms they have (even if the criticism is absurd, IT DOESN'T MATTER!), you alienate them and divide them and you lose your consumers and, consequently, your money and your reputation. Look at the Star Wars and Halo communities today. Their fandoms are an absolute mess! Attacking criticism is wrong! I am extremely principled in this particular area specifically because I have watched as some of my favorite franchises get ruined and run into the dirt, and I watched as the people in charge were criticized for it, and instead of taking the criticism to heart, they mocked, attacked, belittled and trolled their own fanbase (this is a special kind of stupid because the results only hilariously backfire against the business!). This kind of business practice is unethical precisely because it is detrimental to both sides (Neither the business nor the consumer wins in the end! Everybody loses, but the business loses more). While writing this story isn't a business venture, I apply the concept of taking criticism to heart regularly in everything I do. In fact, I want to encourage people to critique any work of art by any means they choose, and I want to examine as much of that criticism as possible in order to try to change the things that don't seem to work."**_

 _ **Anonymous: "Thanks man! I was really excited to release Chapter 4 specifically because I wanted to explore how Simon interacts with the physical world and the people within it, particularly Flame Princess. I always thought it would have been interesting, in the original series, if they to explored some kind of interaction between Flame Princess and Simon without the Ice King's maddening presence, especially because Ice King and Flame Princess hated each other in the series. Would they still hate each other? How would Simon feel about what he did? Well, I'm exploring it now; Flame Princess knows Simon was the Ice King, and deep down, she wants to hate him for being such a sleaze ball and a creep, but he's like a completely different person now. It is very surreal to her, and that lays the foundation for their budding friendship. When enemies become friends, wonderful things tend to happen! It's always really interesting to see in any other media! That's why she was so interested in him in the first place, and I suspect (correct me if I'm wrong) that this is one of the major reasons why it might be so compelling for you readers."**_

 _ **Guest: "I'm guessing you just found my story! Welcome, by the way. And yeah, he did. Keep on reading, there's many more surprises."**_

 _ **Anonymous345: "I'm really glad you like it! I hope I can live up to that expectation, as a few people seem to feel the same way you do."**_

 _ **Guest: "That's the point, baby. A war will only become interesting reading material if you get the reader care about the characters that are fighting the battle. The Lord of the Rings novels and movies all do this REALLY, REALLY well! So does Game of Thrones (the novels more so than the TV show, but both do it really well.)"**_

 _ **NoNameGiven: "Thanks dude! I really appreciate the vote of confidence!"**_

 _ **Dragonstorm0: "Absolutely dude! I want to encourage people to write stories that answer the questions left unanswered at the series end. If you have a story to tell that takes place after the end, I'm all for it, even if the writing sucks. lol."**_

 _ **Guest: "Thanks dude. I really appreciate it!"**_

 _ **I_don't_exist: "Me too. The problem for me is that, for one, I have a really busy schedule, and when I'm not busy, I'm doing stuff with friends and family. While I have plenty of time to think about the story I want to develop, I don't have a lot of time to write in between. I'm also in college, so I'm studying too. (Finals are coming up, so I'm working and studying even harder now.) The other part is that the story I'm trying to create requires a LOT of really deep thinking, especially when trying to bridge the original show's theme in with this one. All its plot points and everything else needs to come together so that it fits like a puzzle, and I'm trying to do that in a way that makes sense and is actually pleasant to read through. This can make it a challenge at times (but I have the capacity to do it, if I really want to, and I do! Doing it well, however, is another story and that is up to the readers!), and this chapter has definitely been the most challenging BY FAR. I don't think the next chapter will take as long, but I could be wrong. I'm going to try and spend more time working on the next chapter so I can get it out to you all sooner. I hope you understand. This reply is probably WAY longer and more detailed than it should have been, but I wanted to make this clear for anyone that might also be wondering why it's taking so long to write. Thank you for the comment, and I'm glad you like the story so far!**_ **:)** _ **"**_


	6. Chapter 6: Michael

**Chapter Six**

 **Michael**

With grim satisfaction, Axel walked through the front door of Flame Castle where the king sat upon his throne, eagerly awaiting his report. To his left side, stood his son, Flint, and to his right stood a lava golem; a massive creature of fire and stone, and one of the deadliest monsters in all of the Fire Kingdom by far.

"You're back?" Flame King spoke as though it were a surprise, "you certainly took you're time."

Axel noticed that the Flame King's demeanor was far more relaxed than usual even though he was in the presence of his own advisors. Wisely, he modified his words and demeanor accordingly.

"I had to be thorough," Axel replied, forcing a smile and feigning a sense of disappointment.

"You didn't find her, did you?" he asked.

"No, I didn't," he lied, shaking his head, "she must've run off before the rain began to pour. Any trace she might have left behind must've been washed away in the storm. I found nothing."

The dismayed Flame King put his elbow on his armrest and pinched between his eyes.

"That is regrettable," he bought it, although Axel was already starting to have seconds thoughts about his approach, "I expected better of you Axel, with the abilities you possess…"

"Magic is powerful, but it has its limits," he said quickly before biting his tongue.

Flame King fumed.

"I did not mean to interrupt you, my king," the wizard bowed his head low, "forgive me."

"No, no," Flame King said shrugging it off, somewhat sarcastically, "please, do speak. Whatever you say must be of far greater importance to you than your own king, so do go on."

"I never intended to-," Axel reminded him.

"But you did," Flame King interrupted, glaring at the wizard.

Axel only spoke as soon as he was certain the Flame King was done speaking

"My king, I told you about the limitations of magic as I left," he contested calmly, "I had hoped my words might resonate with you while I was gone."

Flame King put his arm down, and tapped his fingers on the armrest.

"Have you anything to give me, wizard?" the king asked, "or has this just been a waste of time."

Axel smiled.

"Actually, yes," he said, "I got wind of something in the dark of night; a creature of flesh and bone has been unleashed upon the world and has already begun to ravage the surface. In fact, I do believe I saw it approaching the Candy Kingdom this morning."

"A creature, you say? Of Flesh and Bone?" Flame King pondered, "and why should any such creature be of interest to me?"

"Because I believe this creature is the Lich, my king," he answered.

Flame King's eyes grew wide with dread. The nobles and advisors who sat off to the sides gasped audibly, even the stationary guards looked to one another, seemingly bothered by the news.

"You must be mistaken," the Flame King dismissed, "the Lich was imprisoned years ago in amber."

Axel was genuinely stunned by the king's complete ignorance of passed events.

"But my king, surely you must have been informed that the Lich was freed years ago," Axel put in.

The confused expression on the kings face further exacerbated Axel's shock.

"You cannot be serious," Axel cried out in revelation, "not a single one of your advisors bothered to tell you?"

Every one of the nobles in their seats glanced at one another, looking to pass the blame to another. They bickered amongst themselves loudly until Flame King got off his throne, slammed his fist against the molten pillars to his right and shook the very room into silence.

"Silence!" Flame King demanded.

As the king sat back down in his throne, he eyed Axel with suspicious.

"You only arrived here years ago. How do you know about the Lich?" Flame King asked him.

"All wizards know the Lich. I've seen him in my dreams," he replied honestly.

"But you knew he was freed," he continued, "How?"

"I read through the palace's historical archives," he lied, "if you require proof of the Lich..."

Axel threw a piece of rotted flesh onto the floor. As it landed, the ground oozed around it, digging its way deep into the earth. As a newly established wizard himself, Flame King heard voice emerge from the flesh ravaging his mind.

Bewildered by the voices, Flame King clutched his head in agony. He stood off his throne, but the pain brought him to his knees. Suddenly, the voices stopped.

Flint, who was standing at his side, quickly moved to help his father.

"Dad, are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine!" He screamed, shooing him away with his massive arm.

Flint moved back to their original stations and nobody, not even Axel, dared say anything to the king, who took a moment to reorient himself.

"How could this be?" The Flame King asked himself, scratching his fiery head, "no, you're wrong. It can't be true."

"You know I'm right," Axel declared, "you heard the voices, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," the Flame King conceded, "but why now? If the Lich was freed years ago, why would he reveal himself now? Surely he would have begun his crusade against the world the minute he was freed."

"A fair observation, my king," Axel replied honestly, "perhaps his freedom was made brief and he had been shackled by another prison of sorts. Perhaps he bid his time before he was ready to move against the world. If war is indeed on the horizon, such an event would be a perfect starting place for a thing of death to begin his crusade."

"Regardless, if the Lich is truly free, we must act before he destroys us all," Flame King decided.

Axel put a hand to his chin as though in deep thought.

"Perhaps we should not be too hasty," the wizard put in.

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps we should wait and allow the Lich to wreak havoc upon the surface so that the kingdoms' armies falter," Axel suggested, "it'll give us a significant advantage in the war to come. In the mean time, we could spend that time searching for magic that might be able to contain the Lich once and for all."

"Now _that_ is an idea," Flame King agreed, scratching his chin, "but does such magic exist? Can the Lich truly be shackled forever?"

"A good question, my king," Axel acted as though he too was uncertain, "I do not possess such magic myself, but if there are other wizards in Ooo, perhaps we could pay them a visit and find out for ourselves."

"There is a society of wizards that exists to the Northeast," Flame King told him, "if such magic does exist, you'll find it there."

Axel beamed at that.

"A society of wizards you say," he stroked his chin again, "that was a quicker answer than I had expected."

"Is that a problem?" Flame King asked.

"No, it's just..." Axel thought a moment, "I just got back."

"And?" Flame King raised an eyebrow to him.

Axel thought a moment. He was weary, and in his heart, he wanted to rest a day before beginning another arduous journey into the grasslands.

"Nothing," Axel finally answered, "I will take my leave immediately."

Axel turned and walked halfway towards the exit before Flame King spoke to him again.

"Keep in mind, Axel," Flame King said with a booming voice. Axel turned, "you've failed me twice already. I will not tolerate another failure, Axel. Find this magic and bring it to me, _at any cost_."

Axel nodded slowly and grimly departed for the exit, leaving the Flame King alone with his son, his guards, and the gigantic golem.

"What did you hear?" Flint asked him, "did you hear the Lich?"

"It doesn't matter what I heard," he dismissed, shaking his head, "we have more important things to discuss."

Flame King turned to the lava golem.

"Have you spoken with your leader?" He asked it

The lava golem grumbled in a very low, bubbly, voiceless dialect that was all but unidentifiable to anyone outside the borders of the Fire Kingdom. In its native language it said, _we have decided we will fight for you. My people's army is at your disposal, my king._

"Good," Flame King turned to his son, "and what of _our_ army?"

"Our army is comprised of twelve legions strong, father," he replied smiling, "they are as eager to fight as ever."

Flame King returned his attention to the golem.

"Have your men join the legions and be ready to move out in the next few days," he told it.

The golem slammed its gigantic hand against its chest and magma bubbled from its geyser; it was a sign of great respect and loyalty, and after bowing its head to Flame King, it turned and slowly departed through a massive back entrance. Every step it took shook the entire castle. Flame King looked to his son once more.

"Join the army at the border, general," he told him, "I suspect war is about to begin."

"As you command," Flint bowed and left the room. When he was alone, Flame King fell into his own malicious thoughts.

"And when it does, I will be unstoppable," he held his fingertips together in front of him, glaring maniacally ahead.

* * *

Once the Lich was driven out of the Candy Kingdom and the candy people were freed from his spell, all of the survivors flooded into the throne room of Candy Castle.

Even Rattleballs, the unknown guardian of the candy kingdom arrived in secret, crouched high above the atrium from the frame of an open window faced away from the direction of the sun. In the shadows, he waited and listened.

Nobody, not even Princess Bubblegum was aware of his presence.

The crowd of people, gathered around the heroes, erupted into a cheer, bewildering the helplessly confused banana guards scattered across the room. Meanwhile, Princess Bubblegum and the rest of the heroes ignored the noise and attempted to process everything that had happened.

 _How could the Lich be free?_ This question was the first thing to pop into Bubblegum's mind.

She looked around the room as though she were unaware of those in her presence. When she identified Finn, she walked up to him before anyone else. He was still holding Huntress Wizard in his arms.

"Finn, I need you to tell me everything that happened before now," she commanded, "how did the Lich get loose?"

"What makes you think I know?" Finn said defensively, "I just got here."

"Who does then?" She asked.

Before he could respond, Flame Princess confronted her.

"Finn doesn't know anything," Flame Princess told her, "that thing... that was what I was telling you about earlier."

"Why didn't you tell me it was the Lich?" Bubblegum asked, "If I had known, I wouldn't have hesitated to help you."

"I didn't know it was the Lich," she said defensively, "I've never seen it before. I didn't even know what it was. And why does it take _that_ to get you to help people in need?"

A terrible thought came to Bubblegum's mind.

"But if the Lich came here, then your friends could be-" Bonnie began with misplaced empathy.

"Actually," Simon spoke up and approached them, "those friends she told you about, that was us."

"By _us_ , he means me as well," Huntress Wizard stepped up to clarify, "and we're okay."

"You fought the Lich and lived?" Finn asked her, impressed.

Huntress Wizard smirked. Before she could respond, Bubblegum walked right up to her with a ravenous desire for knowledge. Her charisma garnered everyone's attention.

"Did you see who it was that freed the Lich?" She needed to know.

Huntress Wizard shook her head.

"Did the Lich say anything to you during the fight?" Bubblegum asked, exhausting her options, "did he mention something that may have sounded important? Maybe something that was bothersome or disturbing? Anything?"

Huntress Wizard hid her anxiety well. She chose to shake her head again; a lie, but she felt that the disturbing words the Lich shared with her in their battle were unimportant. She was also uncomfortable sharing them with anyone.

Princess Bubblegum desperately turned to Michael who remained unmoving. Everyone's eyes fell upon the Wizard, and silence enveloped the castle. She looked to his hand where the last specks of white light were fading from view. She narrowed her eyes on the specks of light and her eyes grew wide.

"That spell," Princess Bubblegum spoke as soon as she realized it, "Billy used that to defeat the Lich centuries ago."

"Hey, you're right!" Finn cried, "that's the same power from the Gauntlet of the Hero."

Finn, as well as Jake, stared at Michael blankly with open mouths. Bubblegum was hoping that Michael would react as well, but he didn't seem to do anything.

"Does that mean you knew Billy?" Finn had to ask.

"Any wizard can master the same spell," Michael responded vaguely, "that doesn't mean we all know each other, much less the heroes of the world."

"Look, I'm all about poetry, but that isn't exactly an answer, bro," Jake put in, "actually, that didn't even make sense to me at all."

Michael turned to him.

"No," he answered with more simplicity, his voice dripping with aggravation, "I don't know him."

" _Didn't_ ," Finn corrected. Solemnly, he lowered his head, "Billy's dead. He was killed by the Lich years ago."

Collectively, the candy people bowed their heads respectfully and held a moment of silence to commemorate the fallen hero.

Simon stood out from the crowd and put himself in the center of the room; to him, it was a rather uncomfortable place to be.

"This bickering of spells, wizards, and dead heroes is pointless," he announced, "the Lich has returned. While he may be gone now, he will be back, and he will bring with him an army of the undead. We have to stop him before that happens."

"And what will you do?" Michael asked. Simon appeared perplexed, "do you have the means to kill him?"

Everybody looked at him with incredulity.

"Well, no but..." Simon stuttered

"We can't do nothing," Finn interrupted, "trying anything is better than nothing. That's what heroes do."

"Then you would _heroically_ rush to your doom," Michael insisted, "what kind of sacrifice would that be if all you fought to accomplish is drowned out by your final seconds of agony? Your words of stoicism would ring hollow as your rotting corpse is paraded around by the Lich with all else that makes up his army of the damned. Tell me, boy, what kind of victory would that be? To die and be used as a puppet for the Lich's armada?"

"We won't lose," Finn told him with conviction.

"You will," Michael replied with equal conviction, "you will die and become his slave, boy."

"You don't know that," Finn countered.

"I know many things," replied Michael with hidden confidence, "and I also know that this threat is far greater than you realize."

"I've fought the Lich before," Finn argued, "I know exactly what kind of threat he is."

"I wasn't referring to the Lich," Michael told him, to Finn's confusion.

"Do you have a better suggestion then?" Bubblegum interjected.

"Well, since you asked, I would suggest that you take a step back and analyze your decision before making it," he told her vaguely.

"That's the same thing as doing nothing," Finn argued.

"For a time," Michael countered, "but would you prefer to leave now and perish or leave later with a plan and survive."

"My life is unimportant," Finn told him, "the Lich threatens everyone and, as a hero, it's my duty to lay down my life so that others may live."

Michael grimaced.

"Okay, so let's say we go with your suggestion and we wait," Princess Bubblegum began, "while we sit back and think about what to do, the Lich will only grow in power. And by the time we finally act, he'll be impossible to fight, if he's not already."

"I hate to agree with Bubblegum, but she's right," Flame Princess defended, "we can't sit around and do nothing. We have to fight or else the Lich will come back and kill everyone."

"As do I," Huntress Wizard concurred, "we should go out and hunt him down while he's still hurt. We may not get another chance like this."

"Is that how you view the Lich, with all his power, like a wounded animal panicking in a corner?" Michael asked her/

"He fled," she countered, "that suggests he was afraid."

"Afraid? The Lich? No, you are mistaken," he spoke with growing intensity, "even as I peered through the smoke that poured out from the city, I felt the presence of a greater cause. Someone else is trying to draw you out. Think about it: why would the Lich, of all beings, just leave? I may have hurt him, yes, but he was far from defeated and fully capable of fighting with his reinvigorated power. He came, he made an impression, he reestablished himself as the threat, and he left just as quickly. There is no logic in that, unless he was meant to set something into motion."

"You talk of this greater threat or cause or darkness or whatever you call it, but you haven't even told us what _it_ is," Bubblegum inquired, "how can we ignore something we don't even know exists, if it even _does_ exist?"

"Why would I lie?" Michael asked her.

"Well, if you know something we don't, tell us," she said, "give us a good reason why any of us should listen to you."

Michael closed his eyes tightly and thought very, very deeply about his next words. When he opened his eyes, he turned to address the entire room.

"Citizens of the Candy Kingdom, as you know, my name is Michael," he introduced himself formally, "I came to Ooo from beyond the sea following someone who came to these lands some time ago. I knew him as a friend, but he departed as an enemy, and like me, he is a very powerful wizard. I am convinced that he is the man that freed the Lich, and I fear, if this is true, that he has come to spread war. What you witnessed here today is but a taste of what he seeks to accomplish."

"That doesn't make sense," Bubblegum rejected, "the Lich's purpose is to destroy all life. Once the Lich was freed, he would have killed your friend immediately and used him as a conduit to grow his own power."

Michael turned halfway towards her.

"Not if the one who frees the Lich is able to shackle him to an oath," he told her, "the Lich is already a slave, bred to serve a singular purpose; to destroy all life. He cannot act on his own behalf, for his own sake, and for his own free will, and that makes him predictable, and to a greater extent, exploitable."

Bubblegum remained skeptical, but offered no follow up question or reply.

"What else can we do then?" asked Simon, wanting to move passed the heat of debate.

"You cannot act rashly," the wizard advised, "as I said, you must wait, and only strike once you are certain of the consequences. If you follow the Lich now, you will be walking right into a trap. You will unleash a greater darkness upon the earth. So think now. Narrow the possibilities until one seems far more likely than the rest, and act on that."

"Do you always speak so cryptically?" Bubblegum asked him, "why can't you just give us a straight answer?"

"Does it even matter?" he asked, "You have no reason to believe me. I am a stranger. But I suspect perhaps you will have a reason to believe _her_."

Michael turned and slowly lifted a finger towards Flame Princess, who jutted her head back in abject confusion. When Michael spoke, he did not speak with his lips, but with his mind.

 _You know of whom I speak_ , he told her mind, _he has left his mark on you. His presence haunts you still._

For a moment, the fiery girl remained confused, but after a little thought, the answer became clear to her. Slowly, she raised her head.

"Axel," she uttered the words in shocked disgust and terror, as though the mere mention of his name held some power over her.

She stared at the wizard for a long time, even as the candy people erupted into a loud and arduous uproar. The other heroes looked upon the fiery girl and felt the extraordinary weight that name seemed to have.

"Axel?" Finn repeated the name, "you know him?"

She was silent, never taking her eyes of the wizard and he never took her eyes off her. It was as though they were on a completely different plane of existence.

"Hey, Phoebe," Finn waved his hand over her eyes, she didn't even blink, "earth to Phoebe."

"Wait, hold on a second," Jake suddenly spoke up, "why did you drone on and on about this whole darkness biz when you could have just told us his name at the beginning? Wouldn't that have been a lot quicker?"

"I was not yet certain I wanted to reveal that to you," he answered simply. Phoebe blinked rapidly and finally seemed to come out of her trance.

"So you would have kept that information for yourself and left us in the dark?" Princess Bubblegum scoffed, "what do you have to be uncertain of? We all want to stop the Lich. If anything, sharing that knowledge benefits us all."

"Even small revelations can bring about dire consequences for the future," he replied, "knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands."

"How could sharing vital information possibly hurt anyone?" she attacked.

Flame Princess found herself agreeing with Bubblegum more and more, to her surprise, but neither she nor Bubblegum nor anyone else that was present could deny the impression the wizard was making upon them.

Sensing the growing tension between the two, Jake put himself between Michael and Bubblegum before the debate reached the point of no return.

"Hey, back off you two," he told them, "this isn't helping."

Simon, agreeing with Jake, attempted to diffuse the situation as well.

"We cannot afford to argue while the Lich is on the loose," Simon said, "let's just-"

Princess Bubblegum shoved them both to the side.

"How do you even know about the Lich?" Bubblegum questioned.

"He just saved us from the Lich," Jake protested in an attempt to calm her down, "why does it matter?"

She ignored the dog.

"I want to know," she said sharply, never taking her eyes of the wizard, whose hood concealed his own eyes, "for all we know, you could have freed the Lich. Why shouldn't we suspect you?"

"It's because he's a wizard," Simon cut in, hoping to dismantle the rising hostilities, "all wizards know about the Lich."

"I'm a wizard and I've didn't know the Lich before," Huntress Wizard countered.

"Then you are a young, little wizard," Michael said, "but you will, in due time."

That idea terrified her.

Princess Bubblegum clenched her fists tightly, but, feeling the eyes of everyone upon her, finally decided to give up.

"Fine," Princess Bubblegum gave in.

She turned and started up the stairs towards her throne.

"If what you say is true, I must prepare my kingdom for the worst," she said ominously as she climbed the steps.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked her curiously.

"I'm going to prepare my kingdom for war," she told him, sitting down upon her throne.

Michael's tone completely shifted when he heard her.

"Do you even understand the consequences such a drastic choice would entail?" he asked her, a little on edge, "if you chose to fight, if you chose war, you will be playing right into Axel's hands. He wants nothing more than to see you and everyone else go to war. You would give him wants he wants? Don't."

"Do you think I want this?" she asked him, "war is the last thing I want, especially after everything that happened during the- well, forget it! I don't have to explain myself to you. And if Axel really wants a fight, he is sorely underestimating me."

"Maybe so," he accepted, "and maybe you are right, but even if you are right and even if you win and even if you stop the Lich and save the world, what will become of you when the battle is fought and won? War is a pathway few turn from once the first steps are taken and the choice carries with it a terrible, terrible price. Do you honestly believe peace will be achieved in the end? What will it all mean if you sacrifice everything for victory? If you cannot answer these simple questions, you know nothing of war."

"I will deal rightfully in self-defense," she proclaimed, "I have a duty to defend my people."

"Duty? Ha, what a crude concept," he scoffed arrogantly, "You speak of duty as if you were chained to an inescapable destiny. Your words echo of a fool. War is a _choice_ , and if you fight, it will be the choice of war, not self-defense. There is a difference. Keep to this fantasy of yours, but make no mistake, you will suffer. And know that this will not be a war fought in any field of battle you are familiar with. The war you wage may not even be one that can be won."

Everybody that heard him could barely keep up with the complexity of the argument, but Bubblegum could. She felt a measure of truth in his words. She didn't want to believe them, but she could help it. Still, she refused to back down.

"I don't have a choice," she rejected, "I cannot sit back and do nothing while the Lich is free to destroy lives. And if Axel is as grave a threat as you say, I must prepare for the worst. At the very least, I must bolster my kingdom's defenses and prepare an army in reserve."

"I only ask that you think carefully on my words," Michael concluded softly, "lest you destroy yourself, your kingdom, and the very people you claim to serve."

"Peebee," Finn passed Michael by and came to Bubblegum's side, "maybe we should listen to Michael."

The candy princess looked at him with incredulity.

"Are you really that quick to trust him?" She asked him.

"I don't have a reason not to," he shrugged.

"That's not how it works," she scoffed.

"Then how does it work?" He asked.

Bubblegum rolled her eyes as though the answer were an easy one, but as she thought about how to respond, she quickly realized that she herself barely had a concept for her ideal.

"I- don't have time to explain it to you," she dodged, "it's too complex for someone like... I mean..."

Realizing what she had said, she quickly backed away.

"I'm not stupid, you know," Finn told her, hurt.

"I never said-"

"You didn't have to," Finn interrupted, "I know what you meant."

"Finn, of all people I know, _you_ are the only person I would expect to understand the position I am in," she told him, "what would you do in my shoes? If I don't act while this threat exists, I will be condemning my people to a fate worse than death. What kind of princess would I be if I allowed that to happen?"

"But to go to war-"

"You're a hero, Finn!" she said loudly, and harsher than she intended, "does a hero sit back while innocent lives are lost all around him when he knows he has the power to act? What do you think Billy would have done?"

"Three years ago, you were about to go to war with your uncle," Finn replied, "I told you that he could be reasoned with, and I was right! You didn't listen to me then, but you can listen to me now. Maybe there's a better way to resolve this. Let's just focus on the Lich for now and we'll focus on this war later."

"We aren't dealing with Uncle Gumbald, Finn," she said,"we're dealing with the Lich, a monster, not a person. He can't be reasoned with. And someone brought him back! For all we know, Axel could be even stronger than the Lich. We don't even know what else he's capable of."

"You're right," Finn admitted, "we don't know what we are dealing with, so before we do anything, let's figure out what we're dealing with. Let's be reasonable about this."

Bonnie looked around the room. All eyes were on her. She carefully calculated her every next word.

"Fine," she gave in, to Finn's relief, "but if I find out a battle breaks out anywhere, I will have no choice but to begin training my troops."

"I completely understand," Finn told her, bowing politely.

Michael snickered loud enough for them to hear. Turning back, he headed through the crowd of candy people and exited the throne room without another word.

Finn chased after him.

"Wait, Michael!" Finn called out to him as he descended down the steps of the throne and exited the palace.

"Uh, Finn?" Jake followed his brother loyally, "wait for me."

Huntress Wizard and Simon looked to each other.

"I suppose that's that," Huntress Wizard shrugged.

"I'm disappointed by how it all turned out," Simon replied glumly, shaking his head.

Simon readjusted the straps of his backpack and together, they exited the premise of Candy Castle as well, leaving Princess Bubblegum and Flame Princess alone in the crowd of people.

The two princesses watched as the last members of their party walked away.

"I don't trust him," Princess Bubblegum told the fiery girl.

"Speak for yourself," Flame Princess spat. Her vitriol stunned Bubblegum, "and don't think for a second that just because you and I agree on some things somehow makes us friends."

Flame Princess left it at that and exited the castle as well, leaving a trail of smoke and bits of fire in her wake.

Bubblegum sat still for a long moment as the candy people stared at her in silence. Flame Princess had actually been on her side, only to repay her with biting words in the end. Only when Flame Princess departed and the door was slammed shut, did Bubblegum realized how exposed she was in front of her own people.

"Alright, there's nothing to see here," she told them, hoping they would get the message and leave, but, expectedly, they didn't, "everybody go home. I have to get back to my research."

As the people began to depart, Bubblegum stormed off upstairs to her lab, leaving her people without any words or justification of any sort. Rattleballs leaped out his window and scaled the outer wall of the castle. When Bubblegum returned to her lab, there he was, her brave champion, bowing before her from the frame of her balcony window.

"My princess," he spoke with humility and submission.

"Sir Rattleballs," she titled her head towards him, "I didn't summon you. Why are you here?"

"You didn't need to summon me, my princess," he answered, "I saw the smoke in the distance. Fearing your life was in danger, I came all the same, but when I got here, the smoke was already gone and everyone seemed to be okay."

"You missed a lot," she told him, "the Lich is back."

"I know," he replied, "I heard everything from the atrium window."

"Good," she gave him a nod of approval, surprised that he had managed to hide his presence so well, "then you know why I have to do this."

He nodded, still bowing low. Bubblegum walked up to the balcony and rested her hands on the railing, deep in thought.

"I wish Finn was as understanding as you," she said, almost out of nowhere.

As she continued to think, a thought suddenly came to her.

"Sir Rattleballs," she began, "I have a mission for you."

"Of course, princess" he replied, "anything for you."

"I need you to follow Michael and find out everything he knows," she told him, "you will be acting as my spy from here on out."

"I will do as you command," he said, raising his head, "should I stick to the shadows or confront him in the open?"

"For now, stick to the shadows and just listen to everything he says," she said, handing him a holographic projector, "you don't have to do anything more. As soon as you discover something, use this device to contact me as soon as possible. If anything about your mission changes, I'll contact you."

"As you say, my princess," he bowed again, clasping the device in the palm of his metallic hand.

"Oh, and one more thing," Bubblegum reached into a cupboard and grabbed a small disc, "take this too. It's something I invented a little while ago. It's a spider recorder. Just press this button, right here in the center, and the recorder will do the rest."

Rattleballs hooked the projector to his belt and took the disc from her. He eyed it with delight.

"You are too kind, princess," he concluded in his robotic voice, "I will depart at once."

With that, Rattleballs stoically retreated out the way he came. Bubblegum rested for a few moments more and continued to ponder over Michael's words from the balcony.

 _War is a pathway few turn from once the first steps are taken_ , his words echoed in her mind, _and it carries with it a terrible, terrible price._

"What did he mean?" She asked herself, trying hard to resolve this mystery. After moments of pondering without answers, she decided it would be best to pus the question aside and focused, instead, on the problem of the Lich.

She returned to the comfort of her lab and got to work.

* * *

"Hey, wait up!" Finn cried out to the wizard again, but Michael seemed to ignore him.

Finn finally reached the wizard and ran up in front of him to get his attention.

"Hey man, look," he said, "I don't want to fight. All I wanted to do was say thank you."

Jake followed closely behind.

"Yeah, dude," the yellow canine joined in, "Princess Bubblegum was out of line. You're a real hero."

"I am no hero," he spurned rather dismissively, "though I appreciate your gratitude nonetheless."

"I dunno. You stopped the Lich and saved the candy kingdom," Jake inquired, putting both hands at his hips, "that sounds a lot like a hero to me."

"You certainly aren't evil," Finn added, trying to figure out his meaning, "and you're not a villain. So does that make you... neutral?"

"He ain't neutral, bro," Jake dismissed, "he's against the Lich. He's gotta be a hero."

"Does it really matter what I am?" Michael queried, but upon saying those words, he rebukes himself quickly afterwards, "of course it does. Such appellations allow people to break the world into halves, good and evil, hero and villain, good guy and bad guy."

"Well, what are you then if you're not a hero or a villain?" Finn asked, "you can't be both."

"Perhaps I am neither," he suggested, tilting his head in a shrug.

Finn quirked his eyebrow; the wizard's answer intrigued him.

"So, neutral then," Finn concluded.

"Not exactly," Michael rebuffed.

Now Finn and Jake were _really_ interested in him. They wanted to pin him down, but as the two thought together to try and figure him out, Simon came in from behind with Huntress Wizard right beside him.

"Is this where we're continuing the argument?" Simon asked with a little salt in his voice, "in the middle of the street?"

"Nah man," Finn said, "we were just giving our thanks."

"I suppose that's in order," Simon agreed. Simon held a gentlemanly hand out to the wizard, "I apologize for that whole debacle. I hope you don't take anything that was said personally. Tensions kind of run high when the world is at stake."

Michael looked down at his hand, but he didn't take it.

"Oh, I know the feeling, believe me," he told him, looking down at his hand, but not offering his in return, "it's probably best if you don't touch me."

Simon put down his empty hand, feeling a little awkward.

"I don't mean to be rude, "Michael explained to Simon, "but there is no need for a thanks or an apology. Really. I acted on my own behalf, nothing more."

Michael looked to Huntress Wizard as though expecting something to come from her mouth as well. When she said nothing, Michael chose to initiate a conversation.

"I take it that you're a wizard as well," Michael commented, tilting his head slightly to the side.

The shadow of his hood continued to cover his eyes and while it intimidated the others, she was completely unfazed by his complexion and seemed to pierce through the veil of reality.

"Huntress Wizard," she introduced herself, "pleased to meet you."

Finally, Flame Princess descended down the staircase and joined the group on the streets below. Fire filled her amber eyes.

"How do you know Axel?" She pestered Michael immediately, almost in accusation. She didn't even appear to draw breath.

"I already told you, he was my friend," he repeated the same line from before, but offered nothing else.

"You know what I mean," she insinuated, "don't pretend you don't know."

"Know what?" Jake asked, interested.

"You're hiding something," she accused, lifting a finger towards him, "I know you are."

"Flame Princess?" Finn stepped in, "calm down."

"Yeah, what's will all the accusations, FP?" Jake asked.

"He said it himself," she told him, before quickly turning back to the wizard, "you said you would keep information to yourself if you didn't have a good reason to give it away, so what are you hiding?"

"Nothing important," he evaded the question.

"Enough with the games!" She erupted.

"Hey, what is up with you?" Finn scolded the fiery girl, "are you even listening to yourself? This isn't like you."

"Nothing is _up_ with me," Flame Princess said defiantly, then pointed to Michael once more who stood in silence, "in Candy Castle, he spoke to my mind. He told me that Axel left his mark on me and that he knew I met Axel. He got that information from somewhere! Axel must have told him! How else could he have gotten that information?"

"Phoebe," Finn tried to grab her shoulders, but it scorched his hands, "Ow!"

Phoebe felt her temperature rising. She took a deep breath, and finally allowed herself to calm down.

"Sorry," she told him.

"Quit apologizing. Look, slow down. Take a deep breath. What is it about Axel that upsets you so much?" Finn asked her, she lowered her head in silence.

"You wouldn't understand," she scoffed

"Try me," he replied softly, "if Michael won't tell us, you should. What do _you_ know of Axel?"

"It's… complicated," she replied, still not wishing to share the details with anyone. Finn felt her veneer start to crack.

Slowly, Finn placed his hands upon her shoulders once more. The steam protruded from underneath his hands, even underneath his prosthetic hand, but he ignored the pain, kept his hands there, and focused his attention solely on her. He made sure that she looked him in the eyes as he spoke.

"We're your friends," Finn said sweetly, feeling the uneasiness begin to slowly lift, "don't keep secrets from your friends."

She pulled away, not wanting to hurt him anymore than she already did. Finn patted his hands down on his clothes. He examined the burns he endured, but they weren't as bad as he thought. A worried Jake came up to analyze the burns as well.

The others crowded around the fiery girl. Simon was particularly interested to finally hear what she had to say. Michael, on the other hand, didn't seem to react at all. Flame Princess looked to each one of them, and for the first time since she fled the fire kingdom, she didn't feel alone.

"Alright," she nodded solemnly.

At this point, the candy people were exiting the palace and flooding the streets, and while they all went about their business, Flame Princess felt uncomfortable sharing the story in front of such a large potential audience.

"But not here," she omitted, "we have to do this somewhere private, okay?"

"Of course," Finn agreed.

"We could go to the Candy Tavern," Jake suggested enthusiastically, "maybe get some root beers floats. Could be nice."

"That's sounds perfect," Flame Princess smiled.

The group departed the streets together, leaving Michael to himself. None of them bothered to send him an invite, and while he wanted nothing more than to leave this city, he felt something tugging him to go along. The wizard followed the party of friends, keeping his distance as he had with Finn and Jake earlier that day.

"You know he's following us," Huntress Wizard put in. Simon looked behind them.

"I don't think he's even trying to hide the fact that he's following us," Simon observed curiously.

"Do you want me to send him off?" Finn asked.

"As long as he stays out of the bar, I don't care," Flame Princess asserted, loud enough for him to hear.

Rattleballs landed where the group had been standing in the streets prior to leaving. He narrowed his eyes in the direction they left and followed suit. He noticed Michael first and kept an even greater distance between himself and the wizard.

When they made it to the tavern, it was devoid of customers.

"This is good," she commented, "let's sit over there."

Together, they sat down at the largest table; the one farthest from the counter. Everybody, except for Jake, crowded around a round table with a couch cushion that enveloped the right-half side. The yellow canine walked up to the bar and ordered drinks. After transforming his hand into a serving tray, he brought them back for everybody to enjoy.

He served Huntress Wizard first who sat at the far right end of the table next to Simon. Simon sat next to Flame Princess far enough away from her so that his clothes wouldn't catch fire. And Finn sat next to her, at a distance as well. When Jake sat down at the left-most seat next to Finn, he immediately devoured the delicious beverage.

Michael waited from outside the bar, leaning against the structure and folding his arms around his chest, and waiting for the story to begin.

Rattleballs climbed a building twenty blocks away from the tavern and hopped his way from building to building until he was right on top of the tavern. He knelt on the edge of the roof and observed the wizard below.

After a moment of silence, the robotic knight very quietly pulled the small disc from his belt, laid it near the edge, and pushed the button in the center.

The disc transformed into a spider-like creature. Within seconds, it scaled the wall and entered the tavern through the front door, which was open except for a pair of swinging doors at the center.

Michael heard the spider moving its way inside, and turned slightly to find it crawl inside. Michael looked above, but saw no one there.

He smirked knowingly, and finally, Flame Princess' story began.

She told her friends her entire story from the day Axel showed up at the gate to the moment she woke up and met Simon and Huntress Wizard in the plains near Lake Szelezon. She told them about Cinnamon Bun's death, about Don Jon's sacrificial death, about Argus and the family that helped her flee the Fire Kingdom, and the knight, Alcaeus that was killed protecting her from the wizard, Axel. She left out some of the unimportant details, and allowed them to fill the gaps for themselves.

After she was finished, everybody was stricken speechless. None of them knew what to say and an awkwardly long silence ensued many seconds afterwards. Simon took off his glasses and broke the silence with watery eyes.

"I am so sorry," even he was shaken by the tragedy she endured.

"If Cinnamon Bun is dead, we should inform Princess Bubblegum," suggested Finn.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Flame Princess half-heartedly rejected, "Cinnamon Bun never liked Bubblegum. I don't think she liked him either. She may not even care that's he's dead."

"I still think she'd like to know," Finn insisted, "don't forget CB was one of her people."

"I know," she said, but shrugged it off regardless, "I'm not really interested in sharing everything that happened with her, but if you want to tell her about Cinnamon Bun, that's fine."

The spider-drone was recording everything from directly above. The lens zoomed in on Flame Princess as she spoke.

"There's one thing I still don't get," Simon said after a moment of thought, "how did Axel convince half of your guard to turn on you and slaughter the rest?"

"Before Alcaeus died, Axel tried to sway him by referring to the knight's oath," Flame Princess explained, "it's the oath of undying loyalty that every knight swears to the king before he is officially allowed into the knighthood. The oath requires them to be faithful to the king until the king's death or until an heir rightfully takes the throne. Knights cannot forsake the oath, no matter what."

"How does that oath make someone betray their king?" Simon asked, almost chuckling, "that's so backwards."

"That's because most of my knights never swore the oath to me. They swore it to my father," she answered, beating herself up over it, "Ugh! I'm so stupid! I never thought to change the guard. Maybe I thought was strong enough to keep them in line or smart enough to keep my father from stealing his throne back. I don't know anymore."

"But they still broke their oath. You were the rightful heir to the throne after all," Finn pondered, "didn't the oath transfer to you or something?"

"I am the rightful heir, but I did not claim the throne _rightfully_ ," she clarified, "I overthrew my father and stole his throne in a coup. As long as he is alive, their oath binds them to his service, not mine."

"I suppose that makes sense," Simon agreed, "but how did Axel figure it out?"

"I don't know," she admitted, leaving it at that.

"What a sicko!" Jake spat, "how can anyone be so cold and heartless? Cinnamon Bun was always so kind and gentle. I don't think even Flame King could kill him."

"Well, there's more to it than that," she admitted, "and I don't think Axel was working alone. Someone must have been informing him from the inside. It's the only way he could have known about the oath."

As soon as she said those words, Michael came through the front door, overcome by sorrow.

"Has Axel really fallen that far?" He asked, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Were you spying on us?" Flame Princess asked in outrage.

"I heard the whole conservation outside," he confessed, "and I was not the only one spying on you."

Michael pointed to the spider drone clinging to the ceiling directly above them. Recognizing that it had been spotted, the drone crawled along the roof in a hurry and fled the tavern through the open doorway.

Rattleballs recorded everything he needed for now. When the drone came back and transformed back into its disc form, he sent the data to Princess Bubblegum and put the drone away, but he wasn't ready to leave quite yet.

"Bubblegum," Flame Princess slammed her fists on the table. Her flames grew brighter, and the heat began to melt the sugary furniture around her.

"Careful!" Jake cried, "I really don't want to set this place on fire! This is my happy place."

He smiled and blushed. Flame Princess closed her eyes, released the tension from her shoulders and fists, and allowed her flames to die down.

"Michael, is there anything you want to tell us about Axel now?" Finn asked him.

Huntress Wizard tugged on Finn's shoulder.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" She whispered in his ear, "he _was_ just spying on us."

"I think so," he replied, "he saved us from the Lich, didn't he?"

But even Finn wasn't entirely convinced. He turned to Michael.

"Can we trust you?" Finn asked him awkwardly.

"I have been completely honest about everything I've said," Michael replied, "whether or not you chose to believe me is entirely up to you. As I said before, though, I do not reveal everything, even to my allies. Does that mean you shouldn't trust me after all? Probably."

"At least you're honest," Jake remarked, "I think I trust you."

Finn stood up from his seat and pushed his way passed Jake.

"I trust you too," Finn told him decidedly, "but it's not me you have to convince."

Finn waved his hand towards the table of friends. Everybody was nervous and skeptical, except for Jake who smiled and waved.

"Might I join you?" Michael asked them.

Everybody looked to each other and nodded in agreement; everybody, except for Flame Princess who folded her arms stubbornly and refused to even look him in the eye.

"The choice to let him join is yours, Phoebe" Simon told her softly, "but if you want to get some information out of this guy, you have to agree to let him stay."

"Fine," Flame Princess agreed reluctantly, "but I want the truth, got it?"

"Then I will tell you the truth," he told her, "but I cannot promise I will tell you all of it."

"Why not?" Flame Princess asked him, agitated.

"Do you speak of all your struggles, fire elementress?" He asked, "or are there some you wish to forget?"

Flame Princess could deny the truth in his words, especially now. She accepted the logic and finally gave him the nod to join the table. While Finn returned to his seat, Michael used a spell to drag a chair from the other side of the room, putting it between Finn and Huntress Wizard. He took his seat

"I will tell you what I will of Axel," He pondered to himself, "Where do I begin? Years ago, I found Axel as a child crying all alone in the wastes of a once great city laid to waste by the devastation of the Mushroom War."

Simon immediately fell into his own thoughts as the story began, entranced by the startling similarities of his own past.

"And he was covered in blood. At the time, I did not understand the fullest extent of the tragedy he had endured," Michael continued, "but later I discovered that he had been born to a tribe of humans who lived on the outskirts of the ruin. Axel's tribe was slaughtered by a band of orcs and goblins, and he alone escaped with his life. Axel never told me explicitly, but I suspect he watched his parents die. I don't know what is was that convinced me to take the boy under my wing, but I did so with unflinching resolve. I took him into my home, soothed him with my magic, healed what wounds he had, I cared for him, and raised him as though he was one of my own. At the time, I lived on a farm that existed beyond the city far in the distant plains, isolated from the rest of the world. I had a barn, a cabin, and a windmill. The windmill hadn't been used in years when I found it, but over time I made repairs and eventually fixed it so that it might provide me with electricity. Later, I ended up using it as a personal study. It served as my very own wizard tower of sorts."

When Jake thought of what this homestead looked like, all he could think about was Lady Rainicorn's barn. Finn thought the same way.

"When I would disappear to my study, I would do so for hours at a time," he continued, "understandably, Axel would become bored and would pass the time wondering what was inside my tower. He seemed to have been under the illusion that he was not allowed inside the windmill, but when I first realized he was interested to see what was inside, I brought him with me the very next day. I showed him my alchemy lab, library, training chamber, and the various facets of my magical workroom. He was immediately fascinated by the beauty of magic, so I sought to teach him. To say Axel was gifted is an understatement. He was a prodigy! He learned so quickly and effortlessly, it was as if it were done on natural instinct rather than effort. I didn't realize the great potential he had within him, but once I did, I used everything at my disposal to turn him into the greatest wizard possible. I taught him everything I could. Eventually, he started to brewing his own spells. He was only twelve years old when he started. He didn't just love to do magic, he clung to it like a lifeline. The sorrow and grief he once felt seemed to vanish entirely. He was so happy, always smiling, and was always open and eager to learn. I was always willing to teach him anything, and on those occasions where he wanted to learn on his own, I would step back and provide simple guidance when necessary. He never failed to impress. Truly, Axel was a genius."

Flame Princess could not believe that this boy in the story used to be Axel. She tried to imagine what he must have been like as a kid, innocent, cheerful, happy, laughing and smiling, but the image was so foreign to her that she could not bring herself to properly picture it. Whenever she thought of Axel smiling, she could only picture the vile smirk he wore on his face.

"I loved him so dearly that it became a blindness," Michael continued, his voice was trembling now, "I don't remember how or when I first noticed it, but I remember how it... sounded. It was feint at first, almost like a whisper. Planted in his heart, I watched a seed of darkness begin to sprout. I was worried when I first noticed it, as any sane man would be, but for the longest time nothing seemed to come of it, and naturally, I ignored it, but then the seed started to grow, and eventually, it seemed to consume him. This darkness gave rise to anger, anger gave rise to arrogance, and arrogance gave rise to a destructive, psychotic rage. I would share the details if not for the intense grief that strikes my heart. I hope you do not mind. Regardless of what I observed, I continued to be blind. I told myself, 'oh, it's nothing. Just a passing phase," but I couldn't fully convince myself. I had to prove to myself that I was worrying about nothing, so I tested him. I came to Axel one night and I made a promise to him that I almost immediately regretted."

Michael grew sullen.

"What?" Jake asked, hanging on his every word, "what was the promise?"

"On the eve of his eighteenth birthday, I swore to him that, if he wanted it, all the magic I possessed would one day be his," he told them, "and that one day the world and everyone and everything in it would belong to him. I was foolishly convinced that the goodness of his innocent, child-like heart would take hold and he would reject it. Instead, I unearthed a deep, insatiable desire for control and he accepted it without hesitation. Within him, I witnessed the wheels of a machine begin to turn."

At this point, everyone was completely absorbed into the tale.

"I gazed into the web and I foresaw death," he continued, "I knew I had to do something to stop it, anything, except I could not bring myself to kill him. I tried to save him, but it was no use. Axel was already too far gone. I came to him in the night where I retracted my oath. I told him that the magic I possess was my own and that the world did not belong to him. He felt betrayed and abandoned me in the night. I thought he was gone forever, but he returned the very next day."

"Where did he go?" Finn asked.

"I do not know," he replied honestly, wondering the same question himself, "but when he came home, he did not come alone. Traveling with him was a fire elementress. She took the form of a beautiful, young woman, and together, they fought me, beat me, and broke me. The torture lasted for days and weeks, maybe even months, but to me it felt likes years, decades even. It seemed like it would never end. Axel chained me inside my own barn and beat me mercilessly, day and night. He cracked my ribs, dislocated my fingers, popped my knees and shoulders from their sockets, and chipped off my toenails with splintered wood. He didn't hold back and he relished it. You might think that the physical pain was the worst of it, but no, you would be remarkably incorrect."

Michael gnashed his teeth, as though the pain was freshly lingering with him to this day.

"Axel has a unique talent for magical charms and manipulating the minds of others by force," he told them, "one particular spell he developed enables him to convince people to do anything he desires. He used it on me many times, hoping that in my broken state I might relinquish my powers to him. I fought hard to resist, knowing the devastation he would bring upon the earth, but the pain… you can't imagine the excruciating pain, the complete agony! When I resisted his spell, it was like my body was drowned in a sea of fire as millions of insects gnawed through my flesh from the inside out with vicious talons and venomous stingers. Oh, how I so desired death! Axel knew it well. He told me he would only grant me my wish once I relinquished all my powers to him, but still I refused, and eventually, the pain was so great that I succumbed under the weight of my own suffering. I succeeded; I prevented catastrophe with my life."

"You died?" Finn asked him, "but how are you still here?"

"I suspect it was an act of God that brought me back to life," he told them, not fully knowing himself, "I cannot explain it to this day, and it was no wizard's magic that brought me back, of that I am certain. A voice spoke to me in the void and showed me a terrifying vision of the future. I awoke in the middle of a winter night, alone, abandoned, and utterly broken. I had been in the cold for a while because, as I looked upon my broken flesh, my fingers were black and blue, and I did not feel the chill of the cold air. Rather, I felt warm, fuzzy almost. To my joy, when I awoke, I found that my connection to the web and to magic itself was severed. I had thought it a complete separation, but days later, my powers very slowly returned to me. I was very much still alive and very much still a wizard. I don't know exactly how many days had passed since my death, but it did not matter to me then and it does not matter to me now. All that matters to me is stopping Axel from condemning the world to a fate worse than death. For years, I wandered the earth in search of him and for years it was in vein, until now."

"This fire elementress," Flame Princess wondered, "what was her name?"

"She called herself Callista, if I remember correctly," he replied, "though my memory of that time has faded significantly. I remember bits and pieces of those days, but I have repressed most of it. I've pieced together what I remember as best I could, but even then, it is as though my memories are wound together by a thread. Certain events seem… lost to me."

"Glob," Finn gasped, "that's horrible! I can't imagine what it must have been like for you."

"It is no matter," he replied, "it happened long ago."

Michael then turned to Flame Princess, whose entire demeanor towards him seemed to change completely from that of aggression and skepticism to that of pity and sympathy.

"You said you believed he wasn't working alone," he began, "I suspect you are correct. If Axel has usurped your throne, Callista is likely working with him. Axel might be powerful, but Callista... she is something else entirely; a master of death and destruction who feeds on suffering. Axel, I fear, will be the catalyst for everything she desires."

"And what does she desire?" Huntress Wizard asked.

"To engulf the world in a sea of fire," he answered, "she is a pure manifestation of fire itself, and will do anything and everything just to see the world and everything and anything in it burn and suffer."

Everybody glanced at him with horrified expressions. All, except for Huntress Wizard who eyed him curiously.

"But if Callista wants to destroy everything, doesn't that mean she want to destroy Axel, too?" Huntress Wizard pondered.

"Perhaps," he accepted the possibility, "though you must understand, they aren't just partners plotting together and working towards a common goal. They are lovers; there's is a vicious love, born of passion, desire, and mutual hatred. Because of that, they rely on each other, depend on each other, more than even they probably know. I do not believe one can survive without the other, and if one dies, the other will wither and perish as well."

"What makes you say this?" Simon asked her.

"It is the inherent nature of who Callista is and what Axel has become," he answered, "Axel is a tyrant who wants to take over the world and Callista is a destroyer who wants to tear the world apart. As a tyrant, Axel needs chaos and destruction to maintain absolute control over those he dominates. Constant fear and death are the motivating factors to keep people in line, and he knows this well. That's how tyrants function, and Callista has no doubt offered that avenue to him. When Axel takes over, Callista will unleash a genocidal campaign the likes of which the world has never seen. And when the genocide ends, the survivors will come crawling back to him. He will demand their undying loyalty to him, and afterwards, he will beat and torture and abuse them for his own amusement, and they will accept it graciously and gladly because no matter how many times Axel tears at their flesh, no matter how many bones he breaks, no matter how many limbs he chops off, it can never be as terrible as anything Callista will unleash upon them! As time passes, Axel's grip on the people will slowly start to fade, as will be expected, and the children of his slaves will rise up to meet their fathers' oppressors. When that happens, he will set Callista loose once more so that she might unleashed fire upon the world as she did so before, and as the world dies and grows again, the survivors of that conflict will come crawling back to Axel, and so the cycle continues. Men, women, children, it matters not who dies to them, so long as they attain and retain their deepest desires. Axel will use chaos and death as a ladder to obtain absolute power and Callista will be free to scorch the earth and everything in it."

This apocalyptic vision of the future horrified every one of them. It was beyond their worst nightmares. None of them could even conceptualize anything worse. Suddenly, a thought suddenly occurred to Finn.

"That explains why he freed the Lich!" Finn cried out.

Everyone looked to him eith confusion confused.

"Think about it," Finn told them, "if Axel wants to rule the world and chaos and death is his ladder, the Lich is the perfect tool for him to do that."

"Exactly," Michael said, "the Lich is but a crude manifestation of death. Death leads to chaos, and so the catastrophe begins."

"How do you know all of this?" Flame Princess asked him.

"That would take a lot of time to explain," he replied, "let's say for now that I have th unique capacity to understand and analyze the machinations that run across the world. I can see the effect certain decisions have on certain outcomes, and I can see where certain decisions may lead."

"What do you mean?" She asked him curiously.

"I don't know how I can," he replied honestly, "it's would be like explaining to a blind man what its like to see."

"A sixth sense then?" Simon quirked.

Michael nodded.

"In that case, do you know where Callista might be?" Flame Princess asked, wanting to move passed the depression topic of death, genocide, and the end of the world.

"No," he chuckled, "I'm not omniscient. I wish I was, as do we all. As to where Callista is, she is in biding her time and growing her power, hidden away somewhere none of her enemies will find her."

"And what makes you say that?" Simon asked him impressed.

"I thought about it, _deeply_ ," Michael gritted his teeth on the word "deeply", as though just thinking about it brought him physical pain, "I thought about it for years on end, pondering the same unanswered questions everyday, every night, and even in my dreams. I also prayed and meditated until many of the answers became clear. There are some questions I still seek answers to."

"It sounds like we need to stop the war from happening in order to stop Axel and Callista," Huntress Wizard chimed, "but how do we stop this war, exactly?"

"Either you must stop Princess Bubblegum from going to war," he answered partly.

"Well, that's not happening," Flame Princess judged rather quickly.

"Or you must find Axel and defeat him before the war breaks out," Michael concluded.

"Well, we know where Axel is," Jake said, pounding his fist into the palm of an open hand, "I say we go down to the Fire Kingdom and bring 'em to justice."

"That's not going to be so easy," Flame Princess told him, depressed.

"No, in fact, it will be quite impossible to accomplish," Michael backed her up, "you cannot rush into battle or you will be slaughtered. Axel will expect such a move and he will plan out the next several moves ahead of you. He excels at plotting the downfall of others and making sure they suffer unimaginably as a result. In order to engage Axel properly, you must conceptualize your plans with serious thought and extraordinary complexity. Only then will you be ready to face him."

"Then that's it, we're doomed," Simon concluded pessimistically, "Bubblegum's too stubborn to stand down and Axel can't be beaten!"

"True. A war may be inevitable," Michael agreed, "but we can slow its progression and manipulate the events to come beforehand so it favors us over them."

"How do we do that?" Simon asked

"First, you must stop the Lich," he said.

"I thought you told us to wait," Flame Princess muttered, a little agitated.

"I told you to wait and _analyze_ every possible decision before making your move," he corrected, "I have just finished analyzing your every move, and I know what you can do to stop him. That's more than I can say for any of you."

"Well say no more," Jake butted in, "just tell us how we can stop the Lich and we'll take him down."

"In order to stop the Lich, you need to acquire an alchemical reagent, " he said, "but it is exceptional rare and hard to find."

"Wouldn't it be simpler to just hunt him down and kill him?" Huntress Wizard asked.

Everyone looked to her as though she was crazy.

"What?" She held up her hands, "I'm a huntress. Hunting beasts and monsters is what I know best."

"You can't… kill the Lich," Finn tried to explain to her at best he could, "he's beyond death. He's deathless."

The idea of a deathless being was so foreign to her she had a hard time processing it as a simple concept.

"And even if we could kill the Lich, you couldn't beat him when his power was weakened," Simon added, "what makes you think you can beat him now that he has his powers back?"

"Fair point," she acknowledged disappointedly, turning to Michael, "so what is it we need, exactly?"

"The reagent is called anti-magic," he answered, "ancient scholars called it by another name, but that label was lost long ago."

Both Simon and Flame Princess looked up at each other and exchanged knowing glances. Everyone at the table noticed.

"Do you know where we can find some?" Michael asked them, surprised and excited, "if so, speak quickly."

"I do," Simon spoke up. He threw off his backpack, took out the picture he had showed Phoebe the night before and handed it to the wizard.

When Michael reached out for the picture, he revealed his right hand. The skin was deathly pale and wrapped loosely in a browning linen cloth. Scar tissue marred the surface with black streaks and cracks running all over the ridges of his hand and in between each finger. Simon, Flame Princess, and Huntress Wizard all noticed it and almost gagged in disgust. The rest were too invested in the contents of the paper to notice.

Michael placed the picture down on the table for everyone to see, showing them the image of the vial of black fluid and the glyphs on the paper.

"I haven't been able to decipher the text," Simon told him, "but maybe you'll have better luck than I have."

"I know this text," he replied almost immediately, to Simon's joy.

"R- really? You do? That's wonderful!" He said surprised and overjoyed, "I've been dying to know what they say! Can you tell us what they mean, please?"

"Well, it appears you are right. If the contents do not lie, this does appear to be a vial of anti-magic in its purest form," the wizard pointed to a pair glyphs right above the picture of the vial, "that's what these glyphs right here indicate. This glyph on the left stands for Anti, and the glyph on the right is the symbol for Magic. Anti, Magicka, so to speak."

Michael analyzed a collection of eight symbols on the side.

" _The well of magic resides in_ … wha-?" he shook his head in confusion.

"What?" Simon asked, "what does it say?"

"Forget it. It's nothing," Michael told him indignantly, but Simon nudged him on anyways, "it is of no importance to our task at hand. We can discuss it later."

"Fair enough," Simon agreed reluctantly.

"Wizard City?" he continued to read aloud, "do any of you know where that is?"

Everybody nodded.

"The supplier resides in Wizard City," Simon confirmed.

"Where did you find this?" Michael asked him with a sudden profound interest.

"I don't know," he replied honestly, "I found it in a pile of papers a few days ago while I was working on a project. I've collected many magical texts over the years, but I've collected so many I guess I don't remember. I've barely had time to read through them all."

Michael handed the picture back to him.

"You should take a look at the rest of your papers when you can," he told Simon, "you might be holding some extraordinary secrets unknown to others."

"We have more pressing issues," Simon remarked.

"So we do," the wizard agreed.

"What do we do now?" Flame Princess asked.

"We go to wizard city, of course," Finn answered for them, "we find this supplier, we get this anti-magic thing, and we use it to stop the Lich."

"Once I have it, I can use it to create a special toxin," Michael told them, "it will have the capacity to completely drain the Lich's power. He will live, but he will lose all of his magic and be rendered completely harmless. Hopefully, it will be for good."

"I wish I knew about that back when I was the Ice King," Simon muttered to himself.

"What?" Michael asked him.

"Oh, nothing," Simon replied, "I'm just rambling."

Michael stared at him for a moment longer, before Finn interrupted.

"Before we agree to this," Finn cut in, looking to Michael, "I need you to know that the Lich has our friend captive. His name is Sweet P and he was keeping the Lich locked away inside his body for years. I know he's still alive, trapped inside the Lich. If we do this, I need you to guarantee that he'll survive whatever we do to him."

"The effects will not kill your friend nor the Lich," the wizard answered with further clarity, "but if what you say is true, and the magic of the Lich secedes, then your friend will likely be freed and the Lich will be imprisoned once more."

Finn beamed at that.

"In that case, I'd be glad if you came along with us, Michael," Finn invited warmly.

"I suppose... if that's okay with everybody else," Michael looked around.

Nobody had any problem with him joining, including Flame Princess who had been skeptical of him originally.

"We should leave as soon as possible," Finn said, "if anybody needs to go home and pack some junk for the journey, do it now. And bring a weapon, too, just in case."

"I'll get some money from Lady Rainicorn's for the purchase," Jake put in, "I still got a ton of gold stash away from our adventures."

Finn smiled.

"Hey, some of that gold's still mine," Finn chuckled.

"Well, we'll split it," he offered.

"Do you even know what's yours and what's mine?" Finn asked him jovially, "or is it all in one big pile on the floor somewhere?"

"Maybe," Jake shrugged and narrowed his eyes.

"When we arrive in Wizard City, you'll have to point out who this dude is," Huntress Wizard told Simon.

"I know him by his name, but not by his face," Simon admitted.

"And you're telling us this now?" Jake asked slightly panicked.

Michael held a hand out to Simon.

"Give me that paper again," the wizard didn't bother to ask, but Simon relinquished it to him willingly.

Michael looked at the paper for a few seconds more before turning it around for everyone else to see. He pointed to a black-and-white symbol on the top right corner of the page; it was a symbol of a serpent wrapping itself around what appeared to be three pillars. The central pillar was larger than the other two. It was small, very small, and very easy to miss.

"This symbol- it isn't a glyph," he told them, "it's an emblem. Whoever has your anti-magic reagent will be in possession of this symbol in some way."

"How do you know?" Simon asked skeptically, "that symbol could mean anything?"

"I know because that's how wizard's communicate, in secret," he replied, "I've been a wizard for a long time and I know all their little tricks. What may not be so obvious to you is very obvious to me. And since this reagent is so rare, it's no surprise this supplier would want to keep it hidden away as much as possible."

"That actually makes sense," Huntress Wizard beamed, "I've seen wizards use this tactic before. I forgot what it's called, but I remember sometimes they'd use hand signs or secret handshakes, or they'd do something with symbols. They mark an object, usually a crate or a slip of paper, in a dialect that nobody but specific wizards can understand. They make sure the symbol has no correlation to the text so that it's noticeable to those who know where to find it. That serpent must be a secret symbol!"

She made his point. Michael handed the paper back to Simon and he put it away.

"Well, it looks like we're off to Wizard City," Simon chuckled to himself, "I guess I was planning on going there anyways."

With that the group departed from the tavern. Rattleballs watched from above as they exited the city, some headed in opposite directions of one another.

He grabbed a holographic projector from his belt and used it to contact Princess Bubblegum. A green projection lit up above the device, showing her face.

"I finished going through the recording," she told him, "you should return to me at once now that your cover's blown."

"My cover is not blown," he replied, "Flame Princess assumed the drone was yours and not mine. They didn't even expect that the device had come from above so nobody bothered to check the roof."

"Really? Great! In that case, continue with your mission," she told him gleefully, "but you have to be more careful. I don't want you getting hurt, okay? Did you discover anything else?"

"I listened to the conversation afterwards, he told her, "they're headed for Wizard City."

"Wizard City?" She mused, confused, but interested, "what for?"

"They mentioned something called _anti-magic_ ," he told her, "whatever it is, they seem to think they can use it to defeat the Lich."

"Excellent!" She replied, "that works perfectly with my plan! While they're out hunting the Lich, I can focus my attention on building an army."

"What happens if they fail, princess?" Rattleballs had to ask.

"I can't entertain that thought right now," she dismissed, "go with them and see what else you can dig up."

"As you command, princess," Rattleballs deactivated the device and hooked it back on his belt.

He hopped down the building, traversed the streets, and exited the city.

In the meantime, Bubblegum sat beside her Laboratory sink, tapping a finger on the table. The faucet, though turned off, was dripping water from the end of its pipe. Eventually, she was tapping her finger in near synchronization to the rhythm of the dripping water.

"I'm sorry Cinnamon Bun. I failed you," tears filled the rims of her eyes. She brushed them away and cleared her throat.

Quickly, she rose from her stool and grabbed her phone. She dialed a number and tapped her foot on the ground rather vigorously.

"Come on, come on. Pick up!" She said aloud, "hey, yeah it's me… I'm sorry, I know it's late, but you should really hear this… Guess who I found? Yeah, him… No, he just left… Yeah, he's headed for Wizard City. Finn and Jake and a few others are traveling with him… Don't be like that, you can't blame him after- No, I'm not defending him… Look, all I'm saying is that I think you should pay him a visit. If you want to see himor say anything to him at all, go to Wizard City, he'll be there…"

Princess Bubblegum held the phone to her shoulder, and took up a thin, tiny glass rod. She used it to poke a wad of chewed-up gum placed inside an open petri dish. She looked across the room towards her work station. On the desk on the opposite side of the room, beakers filled with chemical compounds bubbled under the lite flames of Bunsen Burners.

"Hey, can I put you on hold for just a moment," she told the person on the other line, "don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

She put down the phone and returned to the laboratory station. She turned off the Bunsen Burner and began mixing chemical compounds and isotopes into a larger beaker. While she did this, the wad of gum in the petri dish very slowly began to move. Eventually, it started to moan as well.

She finished mixing the chemicals into a solution and returned to the phone and the conversation continued.

"I'm back… Yeah… I can't. I'm busy right now," she said, "I don't have the time… I think you should do it, yes... You got this... Yes, of course... Absolutely… You too. See ya."

She put the phone away. When she returned her attention to the wad of gum, it was starting to climb out of the dish.

Bubblegum returned to her chemicals, took a dropper, and dipped it inside the large beaker and drew the solution. She lifted the dropper over the wad and squeezed the end so a single drop squirted out and fell atop the wretched thing. It shrieked, shriveled, and eventually, whatever it was, killed over and died, putting it out of its misery.

Bubblegum took the creatures death very casually, as per usual.

 _Another failure_ , she thought to herself in disappointment, _back to the drawing board, I guess_.

 _ **A/N: This was a shorter chapter than most, I know, but I hope it was satisfying enough. If not, I am truly sorry. I've been really busy over the holidays. My brothers in town from college and I'm taking more hours at work as well, so I've had to balance spending a lot of my time between work and my family.**_

 _ **I also want to apologize for the accidental update for anyone that was excited to read the new chapter and found nothing there. That update was an accident, and I hope you can forgive me for that.**_

 _ **Some of you might have noticed that I'm beginning to implement some deeper themes and ideas into the story. Feel free to respond accordingly. I would appreciate hearing what each one of you thinks so far.**_

 _ **Now, this chapter was fairly easy to write, but tricky to put together and structure. There are multiple characters interacting with each other all at once, and I had to be certain that the characters, whenever they spoke, were true to themselves and acted and reacted as they would in the show, as grown up versions of themselves. If I did any of this wrong, let me know.**_

 _ **I'm going to try and make it a goal in future chapters to give the readers more benefit of the doubt, as one of the struggles I have when writing is trying to figure out if someone will understand what it is that I'm writing. Deathclaw2010 kind of mentioned to me that I reveal a bit much through exposition and shatter some of the mystery elements of the story. I want to take that criticism and apply it to my writing because I don't want the story to be plain and clear. I want Michael to be a mysterious and complex character and I want people to think.**_

 _ **I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. As always, I appreciate all the comments, critiques, and questions you guys are asking.**_

 _ **Now, it's time to respond to your reviews.**_

 _ **Virxas: "Thanks. I'm hoping to keep that momentum going all throughout the story. It'll be tricky, but I think I might be able to do it."**_

 _ **Guest: "Thanks a ton dude! Lol. When I was pitching chapter 5 to myself, I was actually thinking of doing a fight between the Lich and Flame Princess initially (and almost immediately tossed the idea aside), but then I remembered the promise she made to herself not to not use her powers, I realized I couldn't do that. Then, I thought, what about Huntress Wizard? I personally like Huntress Wizard from the show, and I know that some of you don't, understandably so. But I thought that seeing her fight the Lich was a really interesting idea because a goal I had for this story is to make her a more compelling and interesting character, but in such a way that I felt was true to her nature and to the character portrayed in the show. Now, this goal is hard to accomplish because she doesn't have much of a character in the show to go off of and she barely talks. All we know is that she is a wizard, she speaks only when it is important, she has an affinity for the wilderness, and she has an attraction to Finn that she believes she cannot serve (the theme of altruism appears again here). Now, the Lich is OBJECTIVELY stronger than her in almost every way, but Huntress Wizard has two advantages: first, she is extremely agile and has huntress vision which allows her to see beyond that which a normal person can see, and two, the Lich has been defanged so to speak. He's lost most of his initial power. This made it an interesting encounter and an excellent fight because, at the end of the day, Huntress Wizard is most likely going to lose (It's the lich! She has to), but she still has the capacity to put up a damn good fight using her mind and other unorthodox tactics. I'm really proud and happy with how the fight turned out, and I hope to create more encounters like that one."**_

 _ **Guest: "Awesome. I've received a few private messages from people who also said they got chills from various moments in the chapter. I'm glad some parts had that effect on you!"**_

 _ **Dragonstorm0: "Thanks a ton man. I appreciate the critiques and compliments a lot, and I'll absolutely be sure to ask if I ever need help or advice on certain parts."**_

 _ **GarrusVakkarian: "My biggest fear, when releasing the last chapter, was the length. I'm really glad the story seemed to be enough that it could suck you in and have you not notice. Appreciate it, man!**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **Guest: "I felt it was my weakest because I was heavily detached from certain aspects of the chapter. Writer's block is tricky to get passed and I force myself to get passed it all the time, but it becomes hard to reignite the spark of passion within you to write. Music is an incredible tool I use to keep the spark alive, and even still, it was tricky. And readers notice it, too! It's a weird, almost psychic connection that seems to exist. As I was writing it, I felt that I might have missed some mistakes and I was afraid they'd be really noticeable. The ending was a cliffhanger, Flame Princess played a minor role, and most of the chapter follows Huntress Wizard, a character some people seem to dislike. So, yeah, I was a little worried. I'm so glad I was wrong though!"**_

 _ **OMAC001: "Axel is EVIL, in capital letters. This chapter will explain a little bit of why he does what he does, regardless of the consequences."**_

 _ **AlecDoUrden: "This man… yeah, that's quite true about the show. The villains in the original series seemed to have their limits. And while the Lich didn't have limits (since he is quite literally a physical manifestation of evil), he's only an automaton. He has no free will; no choice other than to be exactly who he is. And we know this because we've seen it before, in the episode where the Lich is stuck in Prismo's Time Room (the one before the Citadel, where Finn's finds his dad). Even though tons of people are there with him, the Lich doesn't kill anyone. He just sits back and does nothing. He's… harmless. It's kind of interesting, really. I also recommend you go back to the episode to see it for yourself and think about what that means."**_

 _ **xGBL13x: "This chapter is essentially just that. I hope you like it!**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **Guest: "Well, she is a Wizard. Lol. No, but seriously, I put a lot of thought and effort into finding out what Huntress Wizard's character is and what I can do to make her tick. That battle with the Lich was a huge step towards that goal, and I am SO glad you all enjoyed it! I put a lot of work into writing that part! As for Finn and his Mom, that was the hardest part to write for me because I made the mistake of never really thinking deeply about who Minerva's character is and what their relationship is meant to be. In the show, Finn is written with certain ideas in mind that clashed with a traditional mother-son relationship, so I was very limited in what I could write. The talk Finn and Minerva had changed a lot during writing. I actually got help from Dragonstorm0 who told me flat out that the original idea I had for their interaction at the beginning just didn't work, felt forced, and was unearned (he didn't say these words exactly, but you get my point). So I changed it up completely, and I'm REALLY glad I did because the interaction feels a lot more natural than it did before. That comparison at the end is really interesting. I never thought of it like that, but that's cool because Last of Us is one of my favorite games of all time. I hardly think the moments are comparable though as that barn scene between Ellie and Joel was beyond exceptional. I don't think my writing qualifies to that level of greatness. I appreciate the compliment nonetheless.**_ **:)** _ **"**_

 _ **Guest: "You can. I'm not some super talented, gifted writer, dude. You have the capacity to be an exceptional writer, we all do. It all comes down to choice. You just have to have the passion, the work ethic, the thought, and a properly developed style of writing. I also don't find my writing style to be that particularly good, though some of you think otherwise. Here's some of my advice for writers: listen to music while you write (music that leaves a deep emotional impact on you, but that also pertains to the moment of which you are writing. I recommend cinematic orchestral music, but that's just me), READ GOOD BOOKS! (This is a big one, especially to aid you in developing a genuinely good writing style. I highly recommend the Hobbit, any of the Lord of the Rings Books, the first four trilogies of the Legend of Drizzt, any Stephen King book, any of the halo novels that came before the Forerunner trilogy, Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, The first Dune book, Elminster in Hell, the Wheel of Time series, the Witcher series, the Chronicles of Narnia series but skip the Last Battle, the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and almost any of the Dragonlance books among others), think about the themes and ideas of the story you want to create. What binds it together? What gives it inherent meaning? (answer: it's the themes and ideas that offer the structure to the story itself and provide meaning to everything in it), and lastly, never, EVER reject or attack any criticism you are given, even if its mean-spirited and, in your opinion, dumb. Instead, attempt to see the criticism from the readers perspective so that you might understand it. Think about it deeply and if it seems sound, fix whatever went wrong, if it did, and if it didn't, think about it some more. This is what a lot of people seem to get wrong, but it's super important to understand a reader's perspective because you are writing something FOR the reader. If any criticism is not sound, be generous and kind in your response regardless, or don't respond at all, if you can."**_

 _ **Deathclaw2010: "You ask the absolute best questions! I love that! So, for everyone else who reads this, I responded privately to Deathclaw2010's via PM for fear that I wouldn't be able to get this chapter out in time. I am not going to give my original answer to the first question because it spoils certain aspects of Michael's character (more specifically, his abilities and beliefs) and I don't want to do that. To answer this question WITHOUT spoiling anything for anyone else, the answer is that Michael waits before he acts and interacts with anybody and/or anything, to an almost obsessive extent. This chapter reveals some of that, but only on the surface level. His reasoning goes far, far deeper than mere virtue of patience and fortitude. As for Flame Princess, I understand the frustration and I think I may have messed up a little when writing her bit. I will say this, though: she made a promise never to hurt others with her powers, and she's bound herself to that oath. You're right; she could have fought, and probably should have fought. It might even have been in her character to fight the Lich and defend her allies, but she chose not to fight because she was afraid. She was afraid of hurting her friends by mistake and she was, and is still afraid of breaking her promise now. So, I get the frustration. I could have made certain things clearer, and I didn't. As always, I greatly appreciate the feedback."**_

 _ **Guest: "I'm really glad! I want Huntress Wizard to be a character people like and that's why I wrote that bit for her in this chapter."**_

 _ **Anonymous: "Oh, don't worry. I am well aware of that. I'm aware of many other things as well. I've poured over the show to make sure this story is as faithful to the original show's events as possible. If I do, however, miss anything, please let me know and when I have time, I'll try to go back and fix it. Also, if you have any concerns that I'll miss something, be sure to let me know in a review just to be safe."**_

 *** Chapter 7 Update: Hey everyone. It's been quite a while since doing an update. I apologize for that, but I wanted to let everyone known that I am on an indefinite hiatus with this story, and I don't know if I'll ever come back. I'm glad that so many people liked it and I'm surprised it did as well as it did, but there have been a number of things that came up in my life and work that have contributed to me just not being able to continue. That, the fact that I was writing and editing all on my own (couldn't find a beta reader sadly), and I've quite honestly lost motivation to continue. I still know where I want to go with this story, and if I ever get back into Adventure Time, I promise that I'll continue the story. I know that this isn't what many of you wanted to hear (and I've gotten quite a handful of PMs telling me to come back or at least do another update to let everyone know what's going on), but I thought it only fair to let you all know.**


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